From Monday 19 September, residents’ permits for parking in the red and blue zones will double in cost from £50 to £100 a year. The council says this is to cover administration costs but it has provided no details of why it costs £100 to issue a permit. Other councils charge far less.
Only one permit will be allowed for each household.
Shropshire Council has yet to announce this change, despite my pressing for a statement. Maybe it didn’t want residents to renew early.
Households in the Red and Blue Zones will be eligible for one permit per premise, with one car registration allowed per permit. The fee for purchasing a permit will be £100 a year.
Each property will be entitled to receive an allocation of 200 hours of visitors parking a year.
There will be no fee for the allocation of visitors parking for residents who purchase a residents parking permit. The charge for the allocation of visitors parking for residents of properties who do not have a residents’ parking permit will be £5 a year.
In Herefordshire, a residents’ permit costs £30 a year. It’s the same cost in Worcester. Staffordshire charges £48, Gloucestershire £50 Chester is pricier at £60. In Ironbridge, Telford and Wrekin council gives residents two permits for free. All these councils allow more than one permit for each address.
There is only one council in the West Midlands that will more expensive than Shropshire from Monday, Solihull which charges £103.50.[i] The average cost of a residents’ parking permit across the West Midlands is £35.
So how can Shropshire Council justify £100? After all, it only costs £5 for a visitor permit. And applications will be online reducing costs.
I don’t think this price hike is justified. If Shropshire Council needs £100 to process a permit application, it should make itself more efficient. I had asked for flexibility in the number of permits for each household. But Shropshire Council doesn’t do flexibility, especially when it comes to Ludlow.
With the costs of parking on-street and in Castle Street car park soaring from Monday, residents’ parking permits will become more tradeable. There is already a black market in permits that are sold on by non-driving households. I am still waiting for Shropshire Council to make a statement on how it will clamp down on this fraud.
Notes
[i]. This excludes Birmingham inner city centre where the prices are eye-watering to discourage car use. On the outer city centre the cost is £90 and outside that just £17. Some councils do not have on-street residents’ car parking schemes but allow residents to buy permits for off street car parks.
What are the arrangements for traders such as painters, gardeners roofers, carpenters, chimney sweeps etc who come to work for residents. 200 hours of visitor permits could soon be used up for a big or even regular work!! I live in town centre red zone.
What are the arrangements for traders such as painters, gardeners roofers, carpenters, chimney sweeps etc who come to work for residents. 200 hours of visitor permits could soon be used up for a big jobs or even regular work!! I live in Ludlow town centre red zone.
Still stymied as to why we’re not asked for proof of our vehicle registration to an address in the Red Zone for our main permit. The system is still open to abuse.
Couple of thoughts. What about those households that have more than one car? I work from home and my lodger is a career, so often at home in the day and 200 hours is just not enough-at a minimum we should be allowed to purchase more hours. I have been staying at my mum’s house more so that I do not run out of parking permits but gave in and bought a second permit . The current system is open to abuse in that you can potentially have 4 different cars on 2 permits but one cannot always have cars linked to an address (I have a company car and it is registered to my company in Milton Keynes , not me). The new price of £100 is ridiculous.
I accept that some cars may not be registered to addresses. Previous resident parking schemes I have been part of can readily deal with this, one can provide evidence either of vehicle registration at address or evidence of use of vehicle by person at the address for whatever reason. It’s not rocket science and allows for flexibility depending on circumstance. However, I fear the scheme is not about flexibility for residents and their needs. At no point are we even asked to declare if we have private parking (I don’t, many do and STILL have permits for vehicles which is nonsensical). I often have to drive round town three or four times looking for a space and even then can end up parking out of the restricted zones (probably to the annoyance of residents on those streets) and walking back. It will never be perfect and I absolutely accept the situation given the layout of the town centre and the need to allow some on street parking but the fact remains there are ample car park spaces within walkable distance AND a park and ride scheme for visitors, neither of which seem to be marketed or signposted particularly well leading to the ongoing battle for very few spaces between those of us that live here and and those who feel it is their right to have unlimited on street parking for their brief visit to town.
This is a simplistic reaction to not enough spaces for hourly paid parking, which generates income. It maintains the per household income, or increases it by 100% for single car occupiers, as I am, and creates more hourly paid spaces. Win-win as far as the council are concerned: no extra thinking & a higher income.
I have to agree with others that there is a very simplistic view to parking- I came back late in the evening the other day from Poole, physically and mentally exhausted. After driving around 3 or 4 times round the various favourite parking streets, I pulled in and waited for half an hour until several people exited the Queens and drove off. I could have gone in the car parks and moved the car in the morning but I am aware now, not overnight parking is not allowed in the car parks, so trying to do the right thing.
Lots to reply to here. We thought that we had agreement that charges in car parks would not start to 9am. That would have given more leeway. But alas!
At £100 we should have a gold plated permit service. Don’t expect that though
When the parking permit was introduced in Ludlow the Red Zone started at £100,and after a review was reduced to £50 to be the same as the blue zone. You didn’t need to be a soothsayer to know that sooner or later Shropshire Council would take advantage and increase both to £100. Perhaps a freedom of information request to ascertain exactly how much it costs to issue a permit would be in order?