Free parking passes for Wakefield MPs to be stopped

A council meeting heard that two passes had been issued to the city's current and previous MP

A council has stopped issuing free parking permits to the city's MPs after criticism it was subsidising parliamentary costs.

Wakefield councillors were told that two free passes were given to Labour MP Simon Lightwood, which were returned without being used.

A council meeting heard similar permits were also issued to the previous Tory MP Imran Ahmad Khan.

Mr Lightwood recorded the value as £447.12 in the parliamentary register.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) independent councillor Tony Homewood said the MP had declared it as a "donation in kind".

Mr Homewood asked the meeting: "Who were the authorised users of these permits?"

In response, councillor Matthew Morley, the cabinet member for planning and highway, replied: "I have looked into this and Simon Lightwood MP doesn't currently have any parking permits issued by the council.

"The MP register of interest does record two parking permits that we issued in 2022 to support his parliamentary duties.

"These were not linked to any individual vehicles and they were returned to the council as they were not needed."

the council's head of highways told a meeting the issuing of passes to the city's MPs would stop

Mr Homewood said MPs can claim parking expenses through the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) and the issuing of free permits should be stopped.

"No MPs should have any parking permits free from this council, why should we subsidise IPSA?," he said.

"Because if they don't get them free from here, they can claim the money on their expenses.

"I would rather see it in Wakefield Council's bank account than IPSA's bank account."

"Can we be assured that such permits will not be granted in future? To anyone, and I don't care who they are."

In response Mr Morley said "yes".