Published: 27 January, 2012
by JOSH LOEB

BOOKIES’ favourite to be the next leader of Westminster Council Ed Argar said he would not “predict the future” when pressed on whether he would mount an inquiry into the divisive parking fees saga.

In a question at Wednesday night’s full council meeting Westminster Labour group leader Paul Dimoldenberg said: “To Ed… great name for a leader by the way.

“On August 1 2011, when he was still in favour of and voted for West End parking charges, was he aware the proposals would mean the loss of 8,400 parking spaces on single yellow lines, and was he not surprised this information was not provided by the cabinet member or chief officers?

“When he is leader will he mount an inquiry into the failure to provide councillors and the public with the full information on which to make a decision?”

Cllr Argar, who is cabinet member for city management, replied: “If there’s one thing I’ve learnt in politics it’s not to answer hypothetical questions or to predict the future or gainsay the views of my colleagues or anyone else.”

Cllr Dimoldenberg said “evading the question” was “not the right way to start your election campaign”.

But Cllr Argar replied that he would “not promise anything in an arrogant fashion before I know whether I, or any one of the very able candidates, have been elected leader of the Conservative group”.

The exchange came after Cllr Dimoldenberg had grilled council leader Colin Barrow, who will be stepping down from the role in March, about what he called the “wasteful episode”.

He urged Cllr Barrow to say sorry to residents, churches, businesses and their staff for the way the parking fiasco had been handled, saying it had caused “trouble, uncertainty, worry and expense”.

But Cllr Barrow refused to apologise, saying the council had made decisions based on accurate research.

And he sought to play down the affair, declaring: “The last time I looked Cllr Dimoldenberg was a middle-aged man and therefore I think I can get away with saying ‘calm down dear’.

“Mock horror is the standard ploy of opposition politicians and he has deployed it expertly over recent weeks. I think it is time he took his own advice and put the parking arguments behind us and moved on. After all, this is about a policy difference, it is not about the end of civilisation.”

He added that the council’s West End Commission would now “look at the West End in the round” to address issues of congestion with minimum cost to business.

Cllr Dimoldenberg asked why Cllr Barrow had “for so long not listened” to senior figures in the Conservative Party and voices from his own back-benches.

But the outgoing leader was not without humility on the subject of his resignation.

He said: “Cllr Dimoldenberg and I don’t share much in politics but we are about to share something quite important, which is that we are not very important. The people who are important are all the people on the back-benches, who you have alluded to, and all the people who are actually running the council and who are doing their very best in public service.

“I salute them for what they have done and what they are about to do.”