The parking fees no one wants will hit our towns

REGARDING the end of free parking and the introduction of parking permits, Oadby and Wigston Borough Council should be ashamed of themselves.

Not one person I know is in favour of the charges for car parking, yet they have seemed to disregard the residents, businesses and shoppers from outside the council area in imposing these charges.

They must have just shredded letters and deleted e-mails without looking at them.

Oadby, Wigston and South Wigston have plenty of empty retail units as it is. How many more will go with the charges?

I have friends and family living elsewhere in the UK where the free parking was scrapped and people were suddenly charged for parking. Within four months, a number of shops closed. I can see this happening in Oadby and Wigston.

How are they going to stop people parking at supermarket car parks and then not shopping there?

If people need to visit other places (such as the hairdressers or library), are they required to drive out of the supermarket car park and pay to park in a council one?

What are people that live near the shops (myself included) going to do if people park on surrounding streets?

Then they get blocked in or unable to pass cars to go home?

Not only do these residents not want another permit, but this permit the council is talking about is an app on a smartphone.

Well, not everyone has a smartphone. Will they be penalised for not having the technology – ie having to pay via pay and display?

Please, Oadby and Wigston Borough Council, drop the proposed charges for car parking as it will cause even more problems.

Do you want the towns to become even more empty? Why don’t you listen to residents’ concerns, as you seem not to have done.

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