Pete, parking couldnt be easier in Carlisle.

And the parking on castle street is entirely owned by the Highways Authority, which is Cumbria County Council. You do realise that there are two councils that serve Carlisle?

Nah, probably not.

One other thing. A council is there to represent the whole city, not vociferous grabbing special interest groups.

It listens at election times. This time the people of Carlisle wanted a change and got one. I do hope the labour council do not listen to agitators, malcontents and those who post on here and write letters to newspapers airing their ill-informed grievances but listen to voters who put them there are election time.

NOW THAT LABOUR HAS BEEN ELECTED IN CARLISLE
JOE SAVE THE CITY MONEY BY HAVING ONLY 1 COUNCILLOR FOR EACH WARD, LETS SEE YOU REDUCE THERE EXPENCES.AND LETS HAVE BOTCHERGATE OPENED UP TO TRAFFIC AGAIN AT WEEKENDS.

I don't think it is quite true that Council doesn't own car parking decisions...what about the Disabled Parking that was done away with outside Hoopers/Bulloughs despite outrage from Disability Groups at the time i seem to recall and also Cathedral,fact is the Council ignored these pleas by the people whom it serves. Coumcil is there to make decisions on behalf of us the peoples is it not? So who owns the land then ultimately? land is the peoples it was taken from us all but people don't realise this...Taxed to the hilt and made to pay to park that is when there are any roads free to park on in the streets nearby shops.

In what way does the 'parking system' drive people away? It doesnt you are just making it up. Parking, both paid for and free is in ample supply in Carlisle.

The council does not control car parking, it is only one of several different companies.

Pete, if you wish to buy a piece of land in the centre of Carlisle and allow us all to park there for free, good on you.

I am not sure what is stressful about driving down lowther street, turning left into the lanes, getting out of the car, walking fifty yards to the lift and ending up bang in the middle of the central shopping district.

In fact it sounds like the least stressful thing i can think of.

You want stress, try doing your shopping at Iceland and then getting on the number 61 bus at 3:30 with bags of shopping and lots of kids jabbering.

That is far more stressful than a peaceful drive and a fifty yard walk.

I am not sure what the new Labour Council can do. Would you like a walking escalator like at airports? So you dont even have to walk your backside to the elevator?

How about a community outreach programme in which three thousand local government officers are employed to deliver the entire range of all the goods sold in the city centre to your living room?

Lets hope Labour now does something about the wretched non Parking system that drives people away, not to,the town centre shopping. Shopping should be pleasurable not stressful.

Show us Labour that you aren't the same colour as the other two Parties.

It was good to see the "rational thinking!!"of Mr Marsden who referred to the brilliant showing of the greens?1133 votes versus the demise of UKIP with 1692?votes but we must not let facts get in the way must we?What hope for a party that can't count.However, one day we may find out just what the greens stand for?

Now that the election is over, can I ask all councillors of whatever colour to put the people & the city of CARLISLE first and party politics last.?
May I also thank the 1692 people who voted for the U.K.Independence party.

Did you see the Botcherby turnout? 27.1% ahahhahahah....That means that more than seven out of ten eligible voters could not be bothered turning off their daytime TV....Unbelieveable!!!

Again J, debate was not 'stifled' or whips used. An agreed position was reached that accommodated both sides. If both sides hadnt already found the position acceptable it wouldnt be put through to the Council. The late Jim Tootle however was a fiery man who repeatedly spoke up against policies in the council when he believed them to be wrong.

But the core thing to remember, in local government there isnt really much 'party politics' in the governing of a council, just in the theatre of council chambers. But, there is a 'them and us' and a 'those in power and those in opposition'. What this does is create a false partisan difference between the councillors.

An example would be Tullie House transfer to a trust. A perfectly logical next step for the museum and for the council. Uncontroversial, will save the council money and give the museum a new lease of life.

If labour had been in charge they would have been doing it without haste. But to a man every single one of them voted against it, even though the labour group contained some very very strong supporters of the idea.

The transfer of the council houses to riverside, again, something that was been pushed heavily at the time by John Prescott and the labour government. Those who knew the numbers knew that the Council couldnt carry on and still provide housing without sharp reductions in the quality of the service for tenants.

But, they all sat on their hands.

That isnt because they are labour and thus cowards, but because they were the 'opposition' and had to oppose. The tactic is well rehearsed.

To oppose something you agree with for the sake of opposition... Find a small fault in the process and focus on that, if the fault is overcome, find another.

I do not believe that the people voting for the Lib Dems were aware that they were basically voting to stifle any meaningful debate within the council. When a former Lib Dem councillor can stand up and say that he does not agree with the Conservatives on an item and then fail to vote against it even though there is supposed to be no whip within the Lib Dems, I believe that is a democratic deficit.

I get what you are saying about the Executive/Scrutiny arrangement and that it was imposed on the Council and that any feeling of dislocation from other members not part of the Executive is down to how the Executive conducts itself.

The full Airport Audit report was leaked and put in the public domain, so no need to expand on that.