Free parking coming to an end in towns one way or the other
PERMIT SCHEME OR PAY-AND-DISPLAY ARE OPTIONS FOR DRIVERS
A PERMIT scheme is to be introduced in Oadby and Wigston after a controversial proposal to scrap free parking and introduce a pay-anddisplay system was revised following a public outcry.
Oadby and Wigston Borough Council hopes the introduction of optional permits will assuage public concerns and help it cover the “unsustainable” annual loss of more than £280,000 it incurs running its car parks.
Residents and businesses had expressed fears that the original suggestion of ending free parking would turn the area’s high streets into “ghost towns”, as the Mercury reported last month.
The Liberal Democrat-run council said it has taken into account responses to a six-week consultation and devised the permit scheme to allow people to park as cheaply “as possible”.
According to the council, the new system has been drawn up to ensure its car parks become self-financing, rather than to make a profit.
Permits ranging from £12.50 to £150 annually will be available for anyone to purchase, differing in price depending on whether you are a resident and the level of access to different car parks.
Non-residents will be expected to pay more than borough residents.
For example, an annual pass for residents which allows the use of any town centre car park or countryside and leisure car park will cost £75 a year, or £37.50 for six months.
Non-residents would be charged twice that - £150 and £75 respectively.
The digital permits will be automatically associated with car number plates, with a mobile phone app to activate the permit for each use.
Permits will also be introduced for the school run and Everyone Active leisure centres.
But for those who do not wish to a permit, the originally proposed, pay-as-you-go charges will apply.
A full breakdown of permits and charges have been made available on the council’s website.
Free parking bays for up to 30 minutes will also be available to non-permit holders, increased from the originally proposed 20 minutes.
Councillor John Boyce, leader of the council, said: “We received lots of excellent responses to the consultation and have been able to make amendments that address as many of these concerns as possible.
“The concerns are understandable, but the fact remains that the council cannot sustain a £282,000 yearly loss and it would be finanpurchase cially irresponsible to our communities for us to continue in that way.
“Our revised scheme means that local people can buy permits that reward them for visiting our town centres and car parks regularly.
“We’re talking about figures of less than 50p per hour for those that pop in once a week down to 5p an hour or less for those who spend lots of time in our town centres.”
A date for when the changes begin has not yet been decided on.
Is the council decision fair enough, given the circumstances, or are you against the changes? Either way, it means the end of free parking in Oadby and Wigston, so have your say by emailing a letter to: