Parking plight

SIR – I would like to bring to your readers attention the significantly above inflation rises that the Liberal Democrat-led St Albans City and District Council has applied to resident parking permits in St Albans. In the district council s budget they ha

SIR - I would like to bring to your readers' attention the significantly above inflation rises that the Liberal Democrat-led St Albans City and District Council has applied to resident parking permits in St Albans.

In the district council's budget they have proposed minimum increases of 5.6 per cent on residents' parking permits. This increase is significantly more than the current rate of inflation.

This rise will affect residents in the city centre of St Albans particularly hard where very few people have the luxury of a garage or private driveway. Any increase, no matter how low, particularly where it is above inflation, is going to hit the pockets and disposable income of already over-stretched St Albans residents.

While it is pleasing to note that the council have frozen Council Tax rates for 2010/11, it strikes me that this headline has been achieved through the council applying "hidden" increases to other fees and charges.

This seems like the actions of a council desperate for a positive headline following a year of poor publicity after the issue of unenforceable parking fines, a massive data security breach and of course the health and safety farce over the pancake race.

If the council had avoided the complete fiasco of unenforceable parking fines would local residents now be being asked to pay these above inflation rises? Are local residents in effect being asked to pay for the illegal parking of others, as the council was unable to collect the fees due from the real offenders?

How many other fees and charges will be increased this year to compensate for the Liberal Democrats' one positive headline?

EMMA HARDING

Lower Dagnall Street, St Albans