'Parking permits must stay' but 433% rise in charges is 'immoral'
MOTORISTS living in permit-only parking zones say the scheme must continue – but that a 433 per cent rise in charges is "outrageous and immoral".
As reported, North East Lincolnshire Council has sent letters to 1,045 households in Grimsby and Cleethorpes, explaining that the price of residential parking permits will rise from £15 a year to £80 from November 1.
And unless 70 per cent of affected homeowners indicate they're happy to pay the increased charges, the scheme could be scrapped altogether.
At a meeting of the Park Ward Action Group, at St Augustine's Church Hall, Grimsby, residents said they would be happy to pay a small increase to ensure the scheme continues – but only if it is properly enforced.
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Kim Bullen, who lives in Somersby Street, urged residents to respond to the council's consultation letter confirming they want a permit parking scheme, but that the planned price hike is too much.
She added: "The consultation hasn't been long enough, but we need to reply to ensure the scheme continues.
"The council needs to justify what the money raised is going to be used for, and we should all use Freedom of Information requests to ask for costings and details of where the figures came from.
"We must respond to the consultation so that we meet the 70 per cent target for the scheme to continue, but we should state that we don't know whether it should continue or not because we haven't got the full facts."
Jane Whitfield, who has lived in Abbey Road West for 30 years, added: "We have people parking outside our homes for hours on end, even though they are only permitted to stay for one.
"The issue is that the scheme isn't policed now while we pay £15, and it won't be policed when we pay £80 either.
"I wouldn't mind paying a bit more if there were parking wardens actually patrolling the area, but the council hasn't got the resources to do that and there's no guarantee the extra revenue will be spent on it, either."
Residents claim both hospital and council staff park their vehicles in the permit-only zones because they know there are no wardens patrolling.
Alan Waumsley, who lives near Grimsby's Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital, added: "We have a situation where cars park so close to our gate that we have to squeeze past them to get out. It's because hospital staff are parking outside our property from 8am to 8pm and we are being asked to pay even more each year to subsidise them."
Councillor Andrew DeFreitas, who represents the Park ward, said: "We have a lot of very, very angry people. Residents clearly want there to be a parking permit scheme, but it must be fairly priced.
"The issue is that if residents say the current scheme isn't properly enforced, the council will claim it is because they need to increase charges to manage it properly.
"However, increasing it to £80 is ridiculous – £40 would be much more sensible."
As reported, under the new rules, households with two vehicles will be charged an extra £100 for a second pass – also previously £15 – and businesses, £150 per pass, which equates to a 900 per cent rise.
Comments
by krissy2012
Wednesday, October 17 2012, 10:18AM
“When we moved into our house we didnt have to pay for a residential parking permit. We can afford the £15 a year but not the dramatic increase. Yes people are saying that 22p per day isn't that much and is a reasonable price to pay for parking. In the area I live it is low cost housing for a reason, because people don't have the money to pay out for luxuries. If I like many down my street could afford to move from this high anti social behaviour area then we would. It would be lovely to have off road parking, but not affordable. With wages not increasing and the price of food and living going up 22p per day soon adds up especially when you have children to feed. Never mind being able to afford petrol- so our cars need to be parked somewhere safe while we walk! To those of you who say get a bike- that is very unfair to say as you dont know people's circumstances and the reasons why they have/need their cars. This has bought extra stress to an already strained financial climate and from experience it causes anxieties and stress. People need to think of others as they wish to be treated, we are not moaning, way are explaining the way life is for us.”
by daddiowk1
Friday, October 12 2012, 7:04PM
“."the bbc are coming to manor avenue next week to film and interview as many people as possible re parking permit issues and concerns re our councils decision to increase parking permit fees in some cases in excess of 500% so please get in touch with
sam wichelow
01132247144 or sam.wichelow@bbc.co.uk or mobile 07713261451
lets give the wake up call north east lincolnshire council need""
.”
by daddiowk1
Friday, October 12 2012, 7:03PM
“by daddiowk1
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 11:33AM
."the bbc are coming to manor avenue next week to film and interview as many people as possible re parking permit issues and concerns re our councils decision to increase parking permit fees in some cases in excess of 500% so please get in touch with
sam wichelow
01132247144 or sam.wichelow@bbc.co.uk or mobile 07713261451
lets give the wake up call north east lincolnshire council need"”
by Godbur
Saturday, October 06 2012, 10:00AM
“Could the council maximise their assets here and charge dependant on requirement and desirability for on street parking in each individual street? A guide price could be set for each street and sealed bids made for a limited number of permits. These should be available for residents or anyone else who perhaps works, visits or regularly shops locally or wants to park their car there.
Permits could be up for renewal every year, different streets every week, so if you fail to bid enough to secure a space in the street you live you could bid on another local street a few weeks later. After a few years a general market price for each street would settle.
For an additional fee, separate spaces marked out on each street would guarantee that people could park outside their own house so they would be happy.
This would create employment with a whole army of council managers, administrators, wardens etc. and provide construction jobs to build a nice new shiny building for them all to work from. Sign makers, post erecters, line markers etc. would also be needed giving employment to the lower skilled. It would all be self funding and could even reduce council tax, so would benefit poor working families and OAPs who can't afford a car.
This system would also make Cynical Sam happy. If nobody wants to park in a street, nobody will bid so the permits could be issued with a floor price of, say £40 just to cover costs to whoever wants one. If you don't want to buy one, park in your drive.
Naturally this would require the introduction of a new "permit benefit" to pay the full market fee (and some) to ensure work-shy families could park right outside their door. This would obviously have to be limited to three permits per household where nobody works to prevent them taking the pi$$.
Or, the residents may feel that 22p/day is excellent value, stop moaning, and stop expecting something for nothing.
...And if my previous answer was not clear enough Sam, no I don't work for NLEC , have no connection to NELC. I'm not and never have been a councillor or had my nose in any similar trough.”
by Piggle
Saturday, October 06 2012, 8:27AM
“Get a bike, buy a house with a drive, no one owns the road outside their property. How did this scheme start, moaning homeowners whiging they can't get parked on the road near their houses? I know the council will administrate a scheme for free for us so I can carry my aldi shopping 2 feet to my house!”
by ErnestDeadman
Friday, October 05 2012, 9:06PM
“Thats what you get when you vote Labour Vote anything but Lard Prescott of Hull.”
by CynicalSam
Friday, October 05 2012, 7:29PM
“Godbur, I too pay my taxes, and for the self same sponging leeches, and I am sure you from time to time, park your car on your street?
What I never explained was that I am in the zone of Scartho which is not suffering from parking congestion, but having a parking scheme seemingly introduced. If introduced, I am informed by the council, not only will I need to buy a permit for my wife's car, but I will have to buy books of tickets to slap in the windscreen of anybody who chooses to visit us' car.
If you could see how car free my street is, apart from 2 which are not on drives, you would then realise that this is an apparent council scam to squeeze us for a couple of quid more for yet another white elephant.
And my 2nd question remains unanswered, mr councillor....”
by Seahunter_1
Friday, October 05 2012, 3:45PM
“by mpc_v1
Friday, October 05 2012, 1:00PM
."I have a driveway and still find it difficult to park as I allways seem to get someone parking over it completely or partly making it hard to get on.
mpc_v1, does your driveway have a dropped kerb onto the road? if so, anyone who parks over your drive is committing the offence of obstruction and I believe you are entitled to contact the police and request that the offending vehicle is removed.”
by Seamus-McTav
Friday, October 05 2012, 3:08PM
“I live near the football ground and would happily pay £80 a year just to be able to park on match days and evenings when the Cons club has its functions.
Nothing worse than finishing a 12 hour shift and then having to either drive around for a few hours or park near the seafront and have to walk back.”
by beardsley2
Friday, October 05 2012, 1:16PM
“Less than 22p/ day, is really inexpensive car parking. It's less than 1 cigarette/day!”