Andrew Dismore

 

Andrew Dismore, Labour London Assembly member for Barnet and Camden has taken up with Banet’s Chief Executive, John Hooton, and Val Shawcross, Deputy Mayor for TfL Transport, the abuse of parking by minicabs in Colindale and West Hendon (photos and letters attached).

 

Mr Dismore said:

 

‘It is an outrageous abuse of the public highway for a minicab firm to park 60 or more vehicles in a small area of residential roads and a council car park.

 

‘I visited the roads myself yesterday and was appalled at this brazen activity, no doubt intended to avoid paying rent and  business rates on proper car parking arrangements.

 

‘This is extremely inconsiderate of the company concerned. It is a nuisance and a growing problem, preventing the public at large from exercising their rights to park on the highway near their homes in this area; and from using the spaces in the public car park in West Hendon.

‘To my mind, the Council has a duty under s130 of the Highways Act 1980 to intervene to assert and protect the rights of the public to the highway.  (See below for s130). Accordingly, I have written to the Council Chief Executive asking him to take action.

 

‘It also seems to me this could well be in contravention of the private hire operators’ licence, so I have raised this with the Deputy Mayor for TfL , Val Shawcross.

 

‘Firm action needs to be taken, so that residents do not see their parking spaces taken in this way and so that this business also cannot exploit public land to its own advantage this way’

 

Note for editors

 

Highways Act 1980

130 Protection of public rights.

(1)It is the duty of the highway authority to assert and protect the rights of the public to the use and enjoyment of any highway for which they are the highway authority, including any roadside waste which forms part of it.