CHURCHGOERS fear they are being persecuted in a row over Sunday morning parking tickets.
Worshippers attending Sunday mass at St Peter’s Roman Catholic
Church, just off City Road, Cardiff, claim the frequency and timing of
local authority traffic patrols increases during services.
And some have complained to Cardiff council over concerns their church is being singled out.
Michael Flynn, headmaster of St Peter’s Primary School on nearby
Southey Street, wrote to parents and parishioners on behalf of the
school asking them to voice concerns to local councillors.
He said: “We have written to authorities previously asking for
details of the deployment of their officers at the times of worship for
all faith communities across the city.
“To date we have received no reply. To the letter of the law these officers are quite correctly imposing fines. However, the spirit in which the law is being upheld across our city is a different matter.”
He added that discussions with parents and parishioners had revealed
there’s a “clear feeling” the church is being singled out, though he
said this may just be speculation.
“I hasten to add there is no solid evidence to support this but we
have requested details of the deployment of officers so we can see for
ourselves,” he said.
“We have written again to the authorities and now will also write to our elected representatives.”
He included a sample letter for residents to write to Plasnewydd and
Adamsdown councillors, and the church confirmed its priests were
working closely with Mr Flynn to tackle the issue, but was unable to
comment further.
A Cardiff council spokeswoman said: “We are aware of parking issues
in the streets surrounding St Peter’s Church having received a number of
complaints about problem parking in the area. We are currently
reviewing the parking options available for people attending the church. The parking enforcement scheme’s principal aim is to ease
congestion and improve safety and conditions for motorists, pedestrians
and residents. We would ask people to park responsibly and observe the
parking regulations which are in place. Anyone choosing to breach
traffic regulations can expect to receive a penalty charge notice.”