Labour Councillors have today slammed the Green administration, after learning via a Buswatch meeting that the long-awaited Park & Ride scheme trial at Mill Road, expected to begin this summer, has been scrapped.

Residents asked for a Park & Ride scheme as part of a suite of recommendations made by the Climate Assembly to ensure our city becomes carbon neutral by 2030.

Labour Councillors have repeatedly pressed the Green administration to deliver on those recommendations and deliver a Park & Ride trial scheme, even identifying funds in the council budget to facilitate this.

When asked last year for a straight ‘yes or no’ as to whether the Greens supported a feasibility study into a park and ride scheme for Brighton & Hove, the deputy chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee Cllr Lloyd said; “No. My party is against park and ride.”

After sustained lobbying from the Labour Group, however, the Greens eventually committed to delivering a park and ride trial scheme later this year. Following the news that these plans have since been abandoned, Labour is left wondering whether this is down to incompetence or ideology.

Labour’s transport and environment spokesperson Cllr Gary Wilkinson said:

“We in the Labour Group are shocked and appalled at the news that the long-awaited park and ride scheme is now being scrapped.

“We set up the city’s first ever climate assembly and there our residents specifically called for the city to adopt a park and ride scheme. Despite that, the Green administration has never been keen on the idea, and Labour has had to drag them kicking and screaming every step of the way.

“We eventually got a commitment out of the administration to deliver a park and ride trial scheme at Mill Road later this year, and now we learn from a Buswatch meeting that the rug has been pulled from under residents and no scheme will be going ahead.

“This is a serious failure to deliver basic services for residents and to deliver on the recommendations of the climate assembly. How can we be serious about reaching carbon net zero by 2030 if we can’t even get on with a park and ride trial scheme?

“I will be writing personally to the Green administration and to the Chief Executive of Brighton & Hove Buses on behalf of residents, who expect and deserve answers.”

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