Most charges will increase by around an inflation-busting 30%, though car clubs are favoured with only +11%. A very-low emissions vehicle will not attract any charge (I'm guessing there aren't many of these around), while motorcycles suffer a +50% increase. If you are unlucky enough to need a doctor's permit, that will go up by a whopping 274%, though you don't qualify as a "key worker" in the eyes of Lambeth Council.
Side-stepping the question of what would be a correct level for parking charges, I have the following problems with this:
- The Council will not allow new developments to build sufficient parking for residents, let alone to provide an alternative to extortionate on-street rates. Is this bona fide environmental consciousness or the creation of a parking monopoly for the Council to milk?
- The Council is meant to be making cuts, not working overtime to find new ways to charge more.
- In a nod towards environmentalism, parking charges increase for dirtier cars. But a parked car does not pollute - a more sensible way to reduce carbon emissions is to charge for actually running the car. How about a toll for crossing the Borough?
We get through quite a few visitors' permits:
ReplyDelete(f) Visitors’ Permits
(i) the current cost of a visitors’ permit is £3.70 per day;
(ii) the new cost of a visitors’ permit will be £5.00 per day.
(iii) a book of five visitors’ permits currently costs £18.50;
(iv) a book of five traders’ (sic) permits will cost £22.00
An eagle-eyed neighbour adds:
ReplyDeleteI think maybe there is a misprint on page 15 of Lambeth Life about changes in parking charges.
in 6. f Visitors' permits(1V). I think it should read - a book of five visitors' and not traders permits will cost £22.00 . I have checked the notice posted to lamppost where it says visitors' here??
According to this notice and Lambeth Life a book of five Trader permits are going up from £10.40 to £90.00!!!
So if you are expecting to have any builders or plumbers get down to the parking shop soon with an estimate. They will give you as many books as you want while they are still in stock but they can only be used till the end of 2011.
...but at least we have plenty of disabled parking spaces on our road. Just in case - as they are not used 99% of the time. I wish if they can turn one of these unused disabled spaces into bike parking.
ReplyDeleteI work in this area and the cost of a book of five traders permits have gone from just over £10 to £90! That is like a 700% increase! How can I carry out my day to day plumbing / gas works with prices like this?
ReplyDeleteI struggle with the ever increasing fuel costs and now I have to contend with this? It is the small businesses that keep this country running yet I am being forced out due to this sort of crazy price hikes!
I cant carry my materials and plumbing tools on a push bike or on a bus and I need my van to carry out the basic of repairs. I dont use my van through choice but through the fact I need it to provide a service.
Something needs to be done now! Lambeth have cameras everywhere, on sides of roads ready to catch you rear wheel that straddles the end of a bus lane, or a camera car to catch you if you stop on a yellow line because you are lost. They make millions in parking fines but that is not enough! They now want more of the hard earned cash us tradesmen have to work our soul off to get.
I feel sorry for the people of Lambeth, you are going to struggle to get a good quality tradesmen to come to your aid as we will find work in Wandsworth or other boroughs where they are not ripping us off!
Darren Reeve
D.Reeve Carpentry & Plumbing
(Also the plumber for ITV's 60 Minute Makeover program)
I hear you. The Council is constructing a parking monopoly and doing its utmost to squeeze people who have no other option than to drive.
ReplyDeleteAs an aside, the whenever the Council raises a price, it claims the new price is on par with neighbouring boroughs. But they're not so keen to benchmark the quality of service we get!