St Peters ward councillor Michael Green has condemned large increases in the cost of certain parking charges imposed by the district council.

Residents in streets like Bedford, Alexandra and Inkerman Roads that lease car parking spaces from the district council are seeing charges rise from £171 to £210 per quarter. This represents a 22% increase, well above the current rate of inflation.

“These roads are narrow with parking only on one side of the road. The leased parking spaces provide additional capacity to the benefit not just of the leaseholders but of those that park their cars on-street,” said Michael.

“These should be run as a public service not a commercial operation. The Conservatives appear to be treating local residents as a cash cow.”