So far they have been "Free"
But what do we mean here by Free?
First even those who have these permits are still having to pay for additional passes, and scratchcards for their guests and any traders that need to spend more than two hours at their residences.
Secondly the fact that these residents agreed to be in a parking zone (yes we voted for it) actually enabled the council to make money from their streets.
Thirdly the council receives a not inconsiderable sum from fines:
In 2011 they made £1,184,884, yep well over a million quid a year! (Note, the statistics do not seem to be being kept up to date)
However, they are not allowed to use that money in place of general taxation and that includes fines for those times when they are late renewing their 'free' permits.
The £40 proposed charge is of course a substitute for raising council taxes but let's face it council taxes have been frozen for so long that there must come a point when they should go up. Just compare your council taxes with all your other expenses - or even the TV License over the last decade.
