Half of the city’s elected councillors can park for free in two city centre car parks whenever they like.

The list of 27 who have taken up the option available to councillors includes five who control Brighton and Hove’s parking charges, which are the highest in the country outside London.

None of the five voted against the latest round of price increases, this January.

Green councillors, all of whom use an alternative council-funded bus pass, are calling for the parking perk to be abolished.

The Conservative and Labour groups issued a statement defending the parking scheme.

The council estimates the two schemes cost taxpayers around £30,000 per year.

The Argus asked each councillor how often they use their parking permit or bus pass for personal use.

Given three days to answer, only a handful did.

One councillor said she used a parking permit because she would not feel safe riding the city’s buses alone late at night.

Council leader Warren Morgan said he covered most travel costs from his allowances, rather than expenses or by permit.

Mark Turner of the GMB union said: “This is an unnecessary expenditure and cost in times of cuts to services in the council that affect the most vulnerable.

“This is another unnecessary expenditure by councillors along with £11,000 for four days of personal development training and we support the withdrawal of this perk.”

Sue Beatty of UNISON called it “disheartening and disappointing”.

She said: “In times of such austerity within public sector services, there is an expectation that employees make sacrifices every day, be it a pay freeze or having to do the work of two people because of cuts to vital posts.

“Why is that different than for councillors? Schools are under huge financial attack with many teaching assistant posts, amongst others, being cut. £30,000 would pay for three or four support staff to remain in schools.”

In January the transport committee voted to increase the city’s parking charges - which are already the highest in the country outside London - by a further two per cent.

Labour Councillors Peter Atkinson and Gill Mitchell, who sit on the committee and have free parking permits, voted for the increase.

Conservative Councillors Vanessa Brown, Garry Peltzer Dunn, and Lee Wares, who sit on the committee and have free parking permits, abstained on the vote thus allowing the increase to pass. The permits apply to The Lanes car park in Brighton, where prices are as high as £14 for four hours, and to exclusive councillor parking spaces in Norton Road near Hove Town Hall.

The council’s estimated cost of the parking perk is based on assumptions that most councillors use the Hove spaces more than the Brighton spaces, and usually use them in the evenings when parking is less expensive.

It calculates the cost at £650 per permit and £599 per bus pass for a total of just over £30,000 for the whole scheme.

Although in theory each councillor could park 24 hours a day in the Lanes car park which would cost each councillor £8,300 a year on the open market, for a total for 27 councillors of more than £220,000 in parking income foregone.

At this February’s budget committee, Greens proposed scrapping the scheme but were voted down.

Green environment and transport spokesman Councillor Leo Littman said: “As well as being decision-makers; local councillors should see themselves as examplesetters.

“It is essential for us to make a shift from using our cars to more sustainable means of transport, such as buses, cycling, or walking.

“Our city is well served by public transport, and Greens feel that councillors should be taking the lead in promoting alternatives to car use.”

“Councillors who have additional needs should be supported with their own transport, but for those who don’t, there is a need to support Councillors to get to essential meetings seven days a week without increasing emissions or congestion in the city.

“Free car parking doesn’t do that. It’s time for that to go”

For the Conservatives, group leader Tony Janio said: “It is standard for many companies to pay employees out-of-pocket expenses for travel.

“Council staff who move around town to perform their duties claim expenses but there is no fuel or mileage allowance for councillors.”

He said the Conservatives opposed renovating Hove Town Hall and proposed an out-of-town workplace where parking would be cheaper but were voted down.

He added: “The importance of having a diverse representation of people to stand as councillors is hugely important to ensuring that we get the best for our City.

“A single parent, or a teenager from a tough socio-economic background, or anyone who is not independently wealthy will be actively discouraged from even considering running for office if these provisions are removed.”

A Labour spokeswoman said: “To help make the best use of their time when on council business, councillors are offered a car parking pass for two locations or a bus pass. The costs are similar.

“Councillors also choose to walk or cycle depending on their schedule of appointments.”

The scheme was introduced in 2007 as a way of replacing the administrative cost of processing individual parking expense claims.

Councillors cannot now claim expenses for travel or parking within the city limits as their allowances - of just over £10,000 a year for councillors and more for committee chairmen - include a travel element intended to cover that cost.

Some councillor responses on pages four and five were truncated for reasons of space.

Councillors Barford, Cattell, Gilbey, Morgan and Yates also said they frequently cover council travel and parking expenses out of their allowances.

Councillors' responses

East Brighton, Labour, Councillor Warren Morgan: “I do not use my pass for personal use. Outside of the two town hall car parks I pay the same on-street and car park charges as anyone else.” He said he covered “considerable” travel costs from allowances, not expenses.

North Portslade, Labour, Penny Gilbey: “I have a permit which I use for council duties as I need to park close to meeting venues. I am the carer for my husband who is housebound and I need be able to respond quickly. I’d be unable to carry out my role properly without a car & permit.”

St Peter’s and North Laine, Green, Louisa Greenbaum commenting on free bus passes: "I travel a lot to ward, committee and other meetings as well as civic events and the bus pass is essential for this. I use my bus pass probably once a week for personal travel and 3-5 on council business.”