Contrary to a previous assertion by the regional authorities, the commune of Ixelles did not have to amend its parking regulations to apply new rates set by Brussels Region, the cabinet of Mobility Minister Elke Van Den Brandt said on Thursday.
The Minister has asked Bruxelles Pouvoirs Locaux to adapt its information to the communes accordingly.
Geoffroy Kensier, leader of the Objectif XL group and member of the centrist Les Engagés party, had stated on Wednesday that, based on a letter from Bruxelles Pouvoirs Locaux , which he had questioned on the issue, the increase in parking rates applied in Ixelles since June last had no legal basis.
Kensier said the regional authorities had stated that the 75% increase was a regional obligation, which was confirmed on Thursday.
For example, parking in a gray zone in Ixelles now costs €0.90 for 1/2 hour (up from €0.50 ); €3.50 for 1 hour (up from €2 ); €8.80 for 2 hours (up from €5 ) and €14.10 for 3 hours (up from €8), he pointed out.
Kensier maintained, based on a letter from Bruxelles Pouvoirs Locaux, that nothing obliged Ixelles to increase parking rates now, given that its parking-rate by-law of 24 March 2022 was established for the years 2022 to 2024.
In his view, the latest information from Bruxelles Pouvoirs Locaux, which tends to maintain the contrary, in no way exempts the municipality from repealing its March 2022 regulation, failing which the parking rates it set will continue to apply in Ixelles.
This had not been done since a mid-June decision to apply the new regional rates, and it is not on the agenda of the next municipal council, he stressed.
