Friday March 20th 2026
Councillor Fay Sinclair
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
Senior councillors have been asked to take a U-turn on a decision to divert cash raised from parking charges to help balance Scottish Borders Council’s books.
At a meeting of the council’s Executive Committee last month it was agreed not to carry forward unspent surpluses from parking taxes into the next financial year.
This meant that an estimated £290k raised from parking charges predominantly in Galashiels, Peebles and Melrose would not be used for investment in projects earmarked in the towns, but instead to help plug an overall gap in the local authority’s budget.
It was a decision which angered Galashiels SNP councillor Fay Sinclair who estimated that a large chunk of that cash, amounting to £200k, had been pledged for investment in her town.
At a meeting of Scottish Borders Council’s Scrutiny & Petitions Committee on Thursday, March 19, members approved a motion requesting the council’s decision-making Executive Committee to reconsider the decision.
The successful motion read: “The Scrutiny Committee recommends that the Executive Committee considers its decision on Tuesday, February 10, specifically on pay parking funds and recommends that Executive Committee agrees that the funds are drawn down from potential alternative sources to meet the committed pay parking projects in the pipeline in the financial year 2026/27.”
Earlier, Councillor Sinclair had outlined the projects that will miss out from being “effectively binned”.
She said: “We’re talking about major projects in Galashiels that will now be effectively binned, including the upgrade of Victoria Park playpark, expanding the playpark at Scott Park, work on the Cornmill Fountain and work on a feasibility for a pump track.”
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