Fury as council hijacks car park (From Barry And District News)

Fury as council hijacks car park

PATRONS of Barry Leisure Centre are furious a section of the car park has been cordoned off for use by Vale of Glamorgan Council staff.

Dawn Morham, 39, of Ffordd Cwm Cidi is a gym member and regularly visits Barry Leisure Centre. She said: "A section of 16 parking spaces has been sectioned off for council workers.

"The needs of the leisure centre users, who are council taxpayers, are being completely overlooked. Car parking at the leisure centre is tight at the best of times, as there are so few spaces.

"Apart from the 16 spaces we've now lost, the remainder of spaces left available to us are being blocked by council workers parking there all day long. Some sort of monitoring or permit system should be put in place or perhaps a two-hour restriction.

"Considering obesity is now such an issue you would think our council would be doing all it could to promote fitness and health."

Patrick Lally, 65, of Alwyn Drive, said: "I have been a regular user of the leisure centre since I retired. I use the gym and pool three or four times a week.

"I noticed that barriers had been erected around a number of spaces. I contacted my local councillor and asked her to look into it.

"She told me the system is being used on a trial basis for two weeks with a view to making the spaces permanently available to council employees. There has been no communication from the council about this whatsoever. The idea has apparently been put forward by council workers as a solution to their own parking problems. But what about the parking problems of leisure centre users?"

Head of the Vale Council's building services, Steven Morris, said: "The new arrangements are part of a number of measures aimed at improving the overall car parking position at the leisure centre and Civic Offices. They will include much closer supervision of the leisure centre car park to ensure its use by leisure centre customers and not office workers.

"The newly barriered-off area will, for the majority of the time, still be available on a daily basis for leisure centre users and will be used only when there is a need for extra parking provisions.

"In terms of car parking, leisure centre customers and indeed shoppers are reminded that, during evenings, weekends and Bank Holidays, the whole of the Civic Office car park is available for use."