'Costly' parking fees mistake was caused by 'gap' in staff handover

SUSPENSION OF CHARGES LOST COUNCIL £44K

- By JULIA BREENS

A “COSTLY” blunder which led to a council making parking free at its car parks earlier this year was caused by a “gap” in a staff handover, it has been revealed.

Melton Borough Council suspended all charges at its car parks in May - losing more than £44,000 - after discovering notices informing the public of price rises had not been published.

At a meeting of the audit and standards committee, councillors were told the results of a review into council procedures. They heard there was “turbulence” in the department responsible for overseeing the process which had been caused by a “change in roles”.

The committee also heard staff had tried to reduce the charges on ticket machines to the previous fees after the mistake was identified, but were told by a management company it could lead to all of the machines breaking down due to their age.