DUP slam UUP on charges

Cllr Anderson slated comments made by Jo Anne Dobson’s political advisor Andrew Cromwell about the increased parking charges and that; ‘on the bright side, the charges are still much less than in Lisburn and Belfast’.

Sydney Anderson said: “We have to assume that these comments, carried Jo-Anne Dobson’s full approval, coming as they did from the person described in the article as ‘the man behind Jo-Anne’. The comments made by Mrs Dobson’s ‘political advisor’ revealed a horrible cavalier attitude to the additional pressure and stress these new parking charges have heaped on hard pressed Banbridge traders, motorists, workers and families.”

“It has already been publicised that as a result of these charges introduced by the DRD Minister, local people could be hit in the pocket by well over £800 per year. That makes local people more than £800 per year worse off at a time of pay freezes, reduced interest on savings and when pensions are worth much less and also at a time of higher food costs, fuel costs and utility costs.”

“These new charges are not only hitting hard pressed local families, motorists and retailers, but they actively contribute to driving people away from the town centre, pushing even more local retailers closer to the wall,” he said.

“And yet it appears from the comments by Jo-Anne Dobson’s political advisor that we should nearly be thankful because it would be even worse if we lived in Lisburn or Belfast. This is an appalling dismissive attitude towards the real concerns that many local people have expressed towards these hated and very costly car parking charges.”

“We need to know without any further delay, evasion or prevarication whether or not Mrs Dobson agrees with her own political advisor.”