A frustrated cabinet member has hit back at a Labour rival after his initial failure to apologise forced a 10-minute recess at the full council on Wednesday.
Scott Davidson, cabinet member for Place at North Ayrshire Council, defended the plans to introduce town centre parking charges, under questioning from Jim Montgomerie, who had supported the plans back in March when his party were in power.
Montgomerie fired a scathing broadside at Davidson, telling the politician he 'didn't have the brains' after the SNP man accused him of 'rambling'.
In the question time session, Montgomerie said: “After 100 years on Saltcoats High Street, local business Gregor Watsons recently announced that it will close, potentially leaving Saltcoats with another vacant retail unit on the High Street. Does the Cabinet Member believe the introduction of parking charges will make it easier or harder to survive in the current economic climate, and for the council to bring vacant properties back into use.”
Davidson replied: “A key desired outcome of introducing DPE parking charges is the improved regulation of traffic in our town centres, by directing long stay patrons to free parking slightly further out while providing chargeable and short stay parking close to retail and other town centre services. This was covered in numerous presentations and discussed under Councillor Montgomerie himself as Cabinet Member with the previous Labour Administration.
“More recently under ongoing monitoring of our town centre car parks, it has shown that they are extremely busy with workers by 9am, making it difficult for visitors to find parking spaces. It is also clear that disabled parking bays are being abused by non-blue badge holders.
"The introduction of DPE and parking charges for visitors and shoppers within the town centres thereby improving opportunities for local visitors.”
Montgomerie added: “Businesses like Dino and Sons in the Cabinet Member’s ward and Saltcoats and Irvine are organising petitions against this. Will the administration accept the petitions against car parking charges.”
Councillor Davidson then said he couldn’t follow his question as it was a “ramble”.
He then said that was “Because you've not got the brains, Scott.”
Montgomerie was asked to withdraw the comment but refused. However after a recess he did.
Davidson said he should have used another word than ramble.
Councillor Davidson told us after the meeting: “I’d recommend that for the benefit of everyone who does work hard in this building that if Councillor Montgomerie is actually serious about reversing his own DPE parking enforcement, that he and his Labour group should come forward at the next budget and tell us where the £473,000 is going to come from to allow us to reverse his Labour policy that we have to deliver- believe me we will be keen to hear his budget proposal.”
He added that Gregor Watsons owner Pete Watson, who was planning to retire, did not like his name being used for a political question.
The Kilwinning Councillor confirmed that petitions handed in would be dealt with by the council in the usual way.
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