The hype-driven spin machine of East Sussex County Council has gone into overdrive. Through its seemingly official organ (The Sussex Express) it tells us that its parking scheme has been successful and fewer cars are driving around looking for parking spaces. That's because they have given up coming to Lewes and prefer to go elsewhere where the parking is free or more easily obtained. What they don't tell us is how much the scheme costs, or how much they have to give NCP per annum for running it. Last November a Council Officer told me, and Rocket Radio listeners, that the on-street parking scheme lost money, whereas the car parks, looked after by the District Council, covered their costs. Time for a new car park then. Or why not tuc-tucs running to and from the station for a flat fare of 50p?
The County is also pleased that ‘Lewes is taken out of the National Park scheme’. Wrong. The discussion continues. The County states on BBC Ceefax that removing Lewes from the proposed National Park was an important development.  Continuing, ‘National Parks decide on planning applications within their boundaries making the process slower, which would be disastrous for Lewes.’ I think not! However, taking planning applications out of the hands of officers and giving them over to members' debate would be better. And it could see an end to the development of the Phoenix site. But it is the District Council which decides planning for Lewes. Not the County.
The County also objects to land at Wilmington being in the National Park as well as land between Newhaven Tidemills and the A259. Perhaps they want this flood plain to go for housing ? More information on the County Park may be found on the web, together with proposed boundaries and the news that the Minister may yet re-open the discussion. An announcement is expected in the autumn. So, spin machine, it is far from settled.