Parking in country parks - costs don't add up

The cost of installing pay and display machines and signage at Wrexham's three country parks - Alyn Waters, Ty Mawr and Nant Mill - will be equal to the estimated income in the first year.

The cost of installation has been given in a Freedom of Information response by Wrexham Council.

Please provide full details of the costs of installing Pay & Display
Machines(including site preparation and ancillary works) installed at all
Country Parks/facilities in the Borough?
Please provide this in list form with costs identified for individual
sites including Alyn Waters, Ty Mawr, Nant Mill etc 

Response:
Pay and Display Machines £15,990.00
Protective Cages £ 3,839.85
Installation £10,055.11
Signs £ 7,404.00
Total £37,288.96
Please note: costs for machine/cage and signs can be divided 3 ways to
give a cost per site of £9,077.95, but for the installation there the
figure of £10,055.11 covers the three sites.

The Council's Tory and two Independent groups voted for the measure in the Budget vote earlier this year. Plaid Cymru, Labour and genuine independent councillors voted against the move.

Councillor Marc Jones, leader of the Plaid Cymru group, said: 

"The estimated income is £47,000 a year but it's clear that the inital set-up costs will eat up the bulk of that in the first year. The ongoing costs of maintenance, collection and policing the country parks will also add to the council's costs.
"It's quite likely that this will actually cost the council money in the first year with the added problem of people staying away from country parks or opting to park outside the parks adding to the loss of anticipated income.
"Once again, we have the ruling coalition of Tories and Independents making poor decisions to generate income that do not, in fact, do what was intended."