States cuts get serious – could politicians’ free parking go?

Monday 28 September 2015

Pay freezes, redundancy schemes and benefit cuts are all starting to eat into the States £145 million deficit, but now one minister has States Members’ free parking in his sights.

Transport Minister Eddie Noel says that the system has to change, and wants to sort it out ahead of the next election in 2018.

His department has to fund the free parking that’s offered to Jersey’s 49 politicians. But he says that the money should come instead from the States Assembly budget, which covers their £46,600 pay, which includes a £4,000 no-taxable allowance, and an extra £600 per year to cover IT costs.

Ideally, Deputy Noel says that politicians should get an allowance and decide what to do with it themselves – whether they get a season ticket for parking, a bus pass, or hire a private parking space.

He said: “We’re taking the opportunity to look at it. Is there a better way of doing it?

“Can we be more efficient and make it more transparent, and say there’s a cost to this?

It’s something that’s necessary and shouldn’t be passed on to States Members – we should only do that prior to the start of a new political term.

“I would like transparency in the way that States Members’ car parking is provided. At the moment, it’s free. But it’s free to departments as well. It’s funded out of lost revenue.

“For transparency, it should be passed on to the States Assembly.

“We could just give them an allowance for parking and they can make their own decision. That might be a season ticket or a bike or even a private space.”