Abuse of position? Part 5

Here is another email from that nice and helpful Mr John McArdle the interim Parking Manager ( to be fair to the PM he is between a rock and a hard place in his job - or between Scylla & Charybdis for the more educated reader ). Do remember to email him on john.mcardle@barnet.gov.uk if you have any problems with your parking ticket not getting such generous treatment as he is obviously kindly disposed to give. 

The helpful information was the list of holiday dates seen earlier which is evidently going to be used as it was filed away for further reference. Mr Mustard cannot see why cars parked illegally on yellow lines should not be ticketed and as for parking on the footway, that is terrible. The footway is for pedestrians and not for cars ( except when specifically marked out for pavement parking following the necessary strengthening works ).

A marvellous example of councilspeak follows and describes "adjacent to the venue". What Mr Mustard thinks it means is that the council will ignore mass illegal parking close to the venue until they come across some spaces at the edge of this orgy of wrongdoing.

"Appropriate action" wouldn't be to educate drivers to park properly would it? It would be to cancel the PCN.

"Thank you for your assistance in this matter". Don't make Mr Mustard laugh. Cllr Dean Cohen has not assisted you Mr McArdle. You have assisted him and hundreds or thousands of his voters ( Mr Mustard is not claiming that Cllr Dean Cohen took these actions in order to win votes, although it won't have done him any harm, but he probably got asked once and then like Topsy the problem just grew. If only you had told the first person who asked you Cllr Dean Cohen, to pay their ticket as Barnet Council need the money and then you wouldn't be in the soup now ).

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

Abuse of position? Part 4

Well, not content with having at least one parking ticket cancelled it looks rather like Cllr Dean Cohen is on a roll and trying to prevent any more parking tickets from being issued in certain areas on 15 further dates.

Mr Mustard wonders why Cllr Dean Cohen doesn't just advise everyone affected to follow the times of each zone and to park their car legally before the holiday starts and then collect it afterwards? rather than use his position as a councillor in this way.

Now let us equate being unable to move your car for religious reasons to being unable to pay for your parking because you do not have a mobile phone and/or debit/credit card.

Do the council give you any leeway whatsoever for this? No they don't.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

Abuse of position? part 3

click to enlarge

So now we see that following the intervention of a councillor that at least one parking ticket (PCN) has been "withdrawn" which sounds rather like another word for cancelled.

It also looks like cars are going to be able to park in parking bays without getting tickets rather than on single or double yellow.

So what can we learn so far? Well Mr Mustard thinks it unlikely that any request sent by him to his councillor David Longstaff would get such a helpful response bearing in mind the diatribe he sent earlier in the year ( see here for a reminder ) but don't let that stop you from trying. You can find out who your councillor is here on the council website.

Mr Mustard thinks, though, that for your councillor to act in this way would be a breach of the Code of Conduct.

6. You—

(a) must not use or attempt to use your position as a member improperly to confer on or secure for yourself or any other person, an advantage or disadvantage 

If your parking ticket has been incorrectly issued then asking your councillor to help is OK.

If your parking ticket has been correctly issued then asking your councillor to help is improper.

If you are currently struggling with a parking ticket that you think is wrong you could send an email to that nice Mr McArdle who seems so helpful; his email address is at the top of the page. Will he be as helpful to you? Do let Mr Mustard know.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard