Council faces big bill for damaged parking meters

The cost of repairing machines which were vandalised soon after being installed to enforce new parking charges at a city's beauty spots will run into thousands of pounds, a council has said.

Five machines were damaged at parks around Leeds earlier this year, and each could cost up to £3,500 to repair or replace, according to the city council.

Machines at Otley Chevin and Golden Acre Park were targeted in February, just hours before the new fees were due to start, meanwhile another machine was reportedly damaged at Temple Newsam a week ago.

At a full council meeting on Wednesday, Councillor Mohammed Rafique, executive member for environment, said police investigations were ongoing.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Rafique told the meeting: "There have been five parking meters vandalised. The costs for repair or replacement vary depending on the extent of the damage, but could be up to £3,500 per meter.

"In the imminent future, the vandalised machines will not be replaced as it is too likely they will be vandalised again.

"We are considering a range of options at the impacted sites, ranging from cameras to the permanent removal of meters.

"It's too early to draw a conclusion as the charges have only been in place for a month."

Drivers can make electronic payments instead of using the machines at the sites, Leeds City Council said.

Blue badge holders were exempt from the new payments, while motorists were charged £1 for two hours, £2.50 for half a day and £4 for a full day.

The charges were introduced to pay for car park maintenance and help the council plug a multi-million pound budget gap.

Rafique told councillors at the meeting: "This decision was not implemented lightly.

"It was as a result of the council facing unprecedented budget challenges, needing to find over £100m in savings over the next financial year."

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