Fury over £60 fee to park outside own home

Catherine Philip, who served in Northern Ireland, Kosovo and Angola, was shocked to receive a letter advising her she needed a permit to be allowed to park on High Road.

She said: “About two years ago signs went up about restricted parking for three hours only and no return within one hour.

“At the time I contacted the council and asked about permits for the resident who parked on the street and was advised we wouldn’t need them.

“I have now received a letter advising us residents will have to pay for a permit to park in front of their own house costing £60 a year for one car and no permits for visitors.

“My neighbours and I are raging about this, especially with the state of the road itself and having to pay to park in front of our own house. How can this be justified when South Lanarkshire Council give residents free permits and three visitors passes?

“I am disabled and have a carer in my house for up to eight hours a day. I am not even allowed a permit for her as her car is not registered at this address.

“But even at that I cannot afford the payments they are asking for especially with my council tax going up by over £20 a month.”

The council introduced the permit scheme last month in streets across North Lanarkshire.

A council spokesperson said: “The fee for a resident’s parking permit is £60 for one year which covers the administration of the parking scheme and is in line with other local authorities.

“The permit would allow the resident to park in a location where she would not otherwise be able to because of parking restrictions.”

South Lanarkshire Council is planning to introduce a fee for its permit scheme, but it is unlikely to be as much as £60.

The council’s Roads Safety Forum was told an ongoing review recommended a “small fee” for permits should be considered as a result of “increasing financial pressures”.

The forum proposed three different fee scales, which will be presented to the Community and Enterprise Resources Committee once the review is complete.

These are: £20 each for up to two cars then £40 for any additional cars, £20 for the first car and £10 for each additional permit, or a flat £10 per permit.

Forum chairwoman Julia Marrs said: ”The intention was only to cover administration costs. I have concerns for some families who rely on their cars because public transport isn’t always there for them.”