A parking fines investigation that has engulfed Liverpool City Council has taken a new twist - with a city councillor coming forward to name themselves in the row.
Last month the ECHO revealed the names of 14 councillors who had parking tickets cancelled without explanation following a 16-month Freedom of Information investigation. Our expose has resulted in two senior Labour councillors - Ann O'Byrne and Barry Kushner - leaving the council, while leader of the Community Independents group Anna Rothery has been suspended by her group.
The bombshell responses the ECHO received last month were only part of the story and we were told the council was working to identify any other parking tickets given to elected members that had been cancelled over the five year period we had asked about, between 2015 and 2020.
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Following our report, the city's Liberal Party leader and Tuebrook Councillor Steve Radford said he enquired with the council if he had any parking fines that were being looked into.
His question prompted searches from officers who then informed him that a fine he had cancelled in 2018 did fall within the scope of the ECHO's Freedom of Information request as a 'non-standard cancellation' and would likely be disclosed in the next response.
But Cllr Radford decided to come directly to the ECHO with this information, citing a lack of trust in the council - and said he had a valid excuse for the fine being cancelled, sharing emails from around the time.
He explained: "At the time I was attending an emergency meeting at the Cunard Building to save an adult education centre in Newsham Park from closing. I had been told the council would provide a parking bay, but it didn't and I received a ticket.
"I then tried to call the council many times and sent six emails to raise this and appeal it, but couldn't get through to anyone."
Emails shared with the ECHO from 2018 show Cllr Radford emailing officers at the council about the issue. One email states: "I was told we were ok to park in bays which are Liverpool City Council. I have now sent you six emails asking for an appeal. I rang your service today and no one responsible was able to take my call."
Cllr Radford said the emails show he tried all avenues to properly appeal the fine and believes it is only through the "incompetence" of the council if the proper processes were not followed regarding the cancellation of his ticket.
He also questioned why his name was not included in the first batch of Freedom of Information responses, adding: "The only reason there are records of what happened are because I kept them because I didn't trust the council. If I hadn't then I would be in real difficulty explaining it now. I have revealed this of my own volition."
Responding to Cllr Radford's account, a Liverpool City Council spokesperson said: “We committed to making further enquiries under the FOI (Freedom of Information Act) 2000 in relation to the Liverpool Echo question about parking tickets issued to members and cancelled between 2015 and 2020. This work is ongoing.
“Last week, Councillor Radford independently approached the council asking for details of parking tickets issued to his car registration number. Searches undertaken by Parking Services disclosed information that fell within the original Echo request, so we are now in the process of consulting with Cllr Radford about the disclosure of this information.
“The timing of the release of this information is as a result of Cllr Radford’s enquiries of last week, as the council was able to search against his car registration number. Now we are in possession of this information, we are under a legal duty to disclose it.”
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