Each organisation will have it's own approach to risk, some even formalise and articulate their "risk appetite". That includes our public sector statutory authorities, which given the public money being spent, can encourage some natural risk aversion.
So when we see "Town Council Reserved" it might well be interpreted as a statement of risk appetite. It is really intended to refer to the parking alongside of course. It's really just a wide flagstone pavement and there's no parking bay marked, so with no other parking hints, it does rather teasingly encourage that wider sense of "reservation".
