Row over ‘free’ city centre parking

A ROW has broken out between a former lord mayor of Cork and the city manager over claims that hundreds of people are getting away without paying for parking in the city centre.

Despite strenuous denials from City Hall, Councillor Joe O’Callaghan remained adamant yesterday that city officials did not have the necessary scanning equipment to tell if people using the park-by-phone system had actually paid up.

The system, introduced nearly two years ago, involves people signing up and getting a special disc.