Plans to increase pay parking in Dundalk slammed

Plans to increase pay parking in Dundalk from €1 to €1.20 per hour were slammed by councillors yesterday at the November Louth County Council meeting in Dundalk.

At the meeting, members were presented with the draft budget for 2019 prepared by Chief Executive Joan Martin.

Ms Martin told members present that due to difficulties faced in putting the draft budget for 2019 together, she had little choice but to impose cuts of 10-15% across discretionary funding.

Along with these cuts - which would impact library services, tidy towns and festivals - to increase revenue, Ms Martin said that she was proposing the pay parking increase to €1.20 for Dundalk.

She also sought to impose a €1 a day charge for long-term parking in Drogheda.

Among those voicing their concerns against the increase were Cllr Anne Campbell who said that the idea of increasing the rate to €1.20 “six months out from Brexit, isn’t a runner.”

The draft budget proposed by the Council was rejected by councillors, who voted 19 to seven against the motion to adopt it.