Michael Foot in Chiswick Parking Row

Former Labour leader ticketed after just three minutes

In an effort to get her MP to help her in a dispute with Ealing Council over parking tickets a Chiswick resident has highlighted to him a case in which the former leader of his own party appears to be the victim of over-zealous parking attendants.

Deborah Pullen was given a series of parking tickets whilst she was away for a few days after her parking permit was accidentally obscured. She wrote to Andrew Slaughter, her local constituency MP, but he replied that it was not a matter he was able to help with.

She wrote to him again saying, "This is completely unacceptable. And it is symptomatic of a long-term culture of bullying in the Ealing Council “Parking Services” department. For your information, it’s not the first time this has happened."

To demonstrate her point she related the story of how Michael Foot, the former Labour leader and a family friend, had come to visit them at their home for lunch. Mr. Foot who in his nineties and has limited mobility was ticketed within three minutes of his arrival whilst his driver was helping him to the house. Deborah Pullen believes that the parking attendant observed this happening while waiting to pounce.

Ironically the incident occurred when Ealing Council was Labour controlled. The new Conservative administration have introduced a new parking regime which they claim is fairer and they have scrapped the incentive scheme that previously gave the firm responsible for parking enforcement higher bonuses if they issued more tickets.

January 27, 2007