Did you hear that? Did you?

The sounds coming from Babergh District Council's cabinet meeting were not encouraging. But they were loud. Boy, were they loud. Very loud. We could hear them in Hadleigh. All the way from far-off Ipswich.

If it's January, it must be budget time! And the latest campaign in the long-running Great Babergh Parking Wars has been launched. And the council's plans to try – yet again – to reduce short-term free parking hours is underway.

The political fighting season is already upon us.

When I touched on this touchy subject for my Christmas homily, my comments elicited a full-scale counterattack from Councillor John 'Generalissimo' Ward. To his credit, it is rare for a political leader to be so often willing to engage publicly in such a manner. Well done to him.

But, alas, alack the day, his reply was partial at best.

The underlying principle guiding Babergh's political leadership at the moment is one of equity (no, not the actors' union, although some of the bravura media performances from both sides of this debate deserve an Oscar nomination).

The reasoning goes that all those poor and huddled masses in the slums of Hartest or the brothels of Capel St. Mary should not have to fork out for the car parks in the three towns since they don't benefit from them as much as more local inhabitants.

But by this reasoning, neither should the upstanding denizens of this trinity be forced to cough up for grants to village halls in Shotley or community pubs in Glemsford.

Taking to its logical conclusion, such a viewpoint would lead to the breakup or breakdown of Babergh (No cheering at the back, you!).

There are also legit queries about the figures being used by the Administration as to costs.

The claims that the annual investment in Hadleigh, Lavenham and Sudbury's car parks costs £425,000 were repeated at Tuesday' evening's cabinet meeting, begs questions, especially if you look at the broken ticket machines, invisible lines and uneven surfaces that typify them.

And unaccustomed as I've become to praising Councillor Brian 'Chernobyl' Riley in recent months, he rather nails this particular matter in his fun-packed blog. What are we getting for £38,000 per month? Babergh's been a bit coy on that one. I wouldn't be surprised if a whole slew of senior (ie expensive) staff costs have been 'apportioned' onto the car parking budget to bump up the numbers.

Perhaps it's time that Chernobyl went nuclear on this one.

Brian 'Chernobyl' Riley

And finally there's the theological issue of proof. Generalissimo challenges the antis to prove that the reduction in free hours will impact on retail trade.

But surely, the burden of proof should be the other way around? The pro-camp needs to provide up-to-date evidence from elsewhere in the land where such a scheme was implemented and DIDN'T result in reduced takings.

As Generalissimo so correctly opined: "Assertions and claims are not empirical data."

However this battle rages, I pray that it doesn't turn into real rages. Let there be no repeat of the intemperate language and actions that blighted the last time this topic was raised.

The chances of tempers being kept cool, or maybe temperate, do though depend on the early and full availability of data and evidence from Babergh. Let it be so.

One final thing: Generalissimo asserted that the first apartments at the mudpark formerly known as Corks Lane will go on sale in the Spring. I notice he didn't mention which one.

*Rowland Taylor's Ghost is an opinion column and and, along with our Reader's Letters, can be used by you to express your views. Simply upload your comment piece/letter via the Nub It button on the Hadleigh Nub News page here.. Or, email the editor: [email protected].