We are all aware that town councils are currently having to pay particular attention to how their money is spent.
Unfortunately, this has led to some councils employing various devious methods of increasing their income, and Wiltshire Council has joined the sorry trend. I have just received its latest copy of Your Wiltshire, and was saddened to note that its ambiguous voucher offering ‘one hour free parking’ over the Christmas period was included.
In essence what it says is true, there is a free hour’s parking, but only after you have already paid for the first hour. You pay as normal for the first hour and, after that, you can park for a further hour free.
This is not made very clear in the presentation of the voucher which emphasises the ‘free’ hour, via large, brightly coloured fonts, but hides that restriction in the terms and conditions. If you are not aware of this and believe it to allow a free hour at any time, and place it on your dashboard ignoring any prior payment, it could cost you a fine.
Graham Houlden, The Orchard, Urchfont.
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