A COUNCILLOR stunned Dursley residents at their annual assembly when he appeared to suggest the county council’s plans to reserve 12-spaces in a popular town centre car park were a done deal.

Cllr Nigel Moor, who took the role of Gloucestershire County Council’s cabinet member for fire, planning and infrastructure from Will Windsor-Clive when the latter stepped down in March, spoke to residents and town councillors at Dursley Community Centre on Tuesday evening.

The subsequent Q and A question and answer session became heated when the topic issue of Castle Street car park arose, a controversial issue in the town following revelations the county council wants wishes to permanently retain a dozen spaces for its their social work staff.

Asked whether he could comment on the situation with Castle Street car park and the county council, which caused a stir when it first came to public attention in April, Cllr Moor said: “We do want to keep providing parking for our own staff. That’s not to say we can’t sit down and see how the rest of the site can be used.”

Taken aback by his comments, councillors who were under the impression discussions on the future of the car park were ongoing immediately challenged Cllr Moor.

Mayor Neil Grecian said: “That story doesn’t seem to fit with what I’d heard.

“We’re having a meeting in June to discuss this further. It’s a short-stay car park in the centre of town owned by the county council, and the issue arose because Stroud District Council was on the road to purchasing it.

“What you’ve said has concerned me. At the moment it’s a useable car park. We’ve already lost our long-stay car park – it’s certainly an issue which needs to be discussed.”

Cllr Moor, in his response, emphasised his initial points, stating that the spaces for council staff were a “priority” for the council, but that discussions could be had over regarding the remaining spaces. He did, however, apologise if he had somehow conveyed the wrong message.

Steve Lydon, county councillor for Dursley and leader of Stroud District Council, said he intended to raise the matter at the next full GCC meeting as “a matter of urgency”.

“This shows the absolute shambles that the controlling Conservative administration are in,” he said.

“The residents, town council and district council have been endeavouring to resolve this matter with my support as the local county councillor for more than six months with discussions including the leader of the county council Mark Hawthorne and the CEO Pete Bungard.

“We had heard rumours about the county wanting to reserve places for staff. Alternatives have been offered to the county, yet it appears it’s now a done deal.

“I will raise this matter at the next full council as a matter of urgency.

However, Cllr Ray Theodoulou, deputy leader of Gloucestershire County Council, said nothing had been agreed on the future of the car park at this stage.

He said: “The council is always looking at ways to make the best use of its property. As part of a county-wide review we are looking at how Castle Street car park is being used and if it’s providing the service that local people and businesses need.

“I’d like to clarify that no proposals for this car park have been agreed, we’ll talk with the borough and town councils before any decisions are made as off road parking is the responsibility of district councils.

“Currently, there are no agreements to close the car park or to allocate spaces for social workers and it’s still fully operational as a free public car park.”

News of the county council’s plans for the car park came to light at the end of last month following a multi-agency meeting seeking solutions to parking and traffic issues in Dursley.

It transpired that the district council has been in negotiations with GCC to purchase Castle Street car park, a parking area with 26 spaces and a limit of one hour, used most frequently by people using the town’s high street.

However, despite many town councillors and Stroud district councillors believing the sale was complete, GCC retained ownership of the car park and proposed to reserve 12 spaces for social workers.

A petition bearing the names of more than 500 objectors was delivered to Shire Hall (GCC’s chamber) by Cllr Lydon earlier this month.