By Matt Jarram, Local Democracy Reporter
Controversial proposals to start charging Nottingham city residents for parking second or third cars on the street have faced criticised from some councillors.
Nottingham City Council is planning to introduce a new Residents’ Parking Permit Scheme from April next year.
Thousands of people currently have parking permits in areas of Nottingham including the Arboretum and the Meadows.
The Labour-led authority is introducing a series of measures to try to balance its books next year, with this scheme included in the plans.
Other controversial plans include closing six children’s centres and a charge for bulky waste.
Currently, residents in areas covered by parking control schemes can apply for up to two free permits to cover two vehicles, with charges then introduced for any further vehicles.
The new measures only provide one free permit, with motorists paying £35 for a second and £50 for a third.
Cllr Neghat Khan (Lab), the council’s portfolio holder for neighbourhoods, safety and inclusion, addressed an overview and scrutiny committee on Wednesday, December 8.
She said all permit holders were being contacted about the new proposals and a public consultation was under way to seek views and opinions about the changes.
She also said the scheme was no different from some in other areas such as Birmingham, and would help encourage people to use other forms of transport, reducing pollution and the city’s carbon footrpint.
Cllr Andrew Rule, leader of the opposition Conservative Group, was unhappy that current permits would be cancelled, meaning motorists have to reapply as part of the new scheme.
“I would get your legal advice in order because I can see legal challenges in that,” he said.
Cllr Toby Neal (Lab) said this scheme could be “unfair in the system” for residents living in ‘Houses of Multiple Occupancy’ such as student houses with more than one car.
He also had concerns about how the scheme would be policed following cuts to the city council’s community protection officer team.
He added: “How are we going to meet the demand? You make comparisons to other cities, and I expect we will do that, but there is a unique set of circumstances here.
“There are certain wards that have suffered with on street parking because of the workplace parking (levy). We need to make sure it is not double dipping – workplace parking levy and this parking scheme.”
Cllr Khan said: “Our priority is getting the consultation out and then we are able to work on some of these questions.”
Cllr Sam Webster (Lab), portfolio holder for finance, added: “You should not have to pay to park at the hospital if you are a visitor, but I am sure they are applying it because they can’t run some of their services. There are challenges and issues, but we have to work through them.”
