HC Deb 27 July 1960 vol 627 cc1733-4

Lords Amendment: In page 21, line 30, let.ve out paragraph (c) and insert: (c) in relation to a vehicle removed by a pet son other than as aforesaid from a parking place provided or controlled by a local authority, means that authority; (d) in relation to a vehicle removed by a person other than as aforesaid from a parking place in the London Traffic Area designated under section thirty-four of the Road Traffic Act, 1960, means the local authority (being the council of the county borough or county district, the Common Council of the City of London or the council of the metropolitan borough) within whose area the parking place is situate;

Mr. Hay

I beg to move, That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment.

This is a minor drafting Amendment. A contingency emerged during the preparation of the order and regulations which will have to be made under this Clause and under Clause 15. By virtue of subsection (4, c) and the definition of "competent authority" in Clause 15 (4) the power of a local authority to make a charge for the removal of a vehicle from an on-street parking place in the London traffic area as well as its power to sell a vehicle which appears to have been abandoned, is limited to local authorities which provide or control such parking places. In the London traffic area the Minister of Transport appoints on-street parking places other than those controlled by parking meters. He does so by regulations made under Section 34 of the Road Traffic Act, 1960.

It could be argued that it was not the local authority which provided or controlled such parking places, but the Minister. In our view such local authorities ought to have power to remove vehicles which appear to have been abandoned on street parking places in the London traffic area and to recover the cost of removal and to sell or dispose of the vehicle. It was thought wise in another place to make this small amendment to this paragraph in subsection (4).

Question put and agreed to.