Outrage at rising cost of Rugby resident parking permits

Andy Saunders, who lives in Paradise Street, was one of the first to contact the Advertiser. He said: “I understand that there will be a rise over the years due to inflation - but not this much. It’s a 66 per cent increase.

“We have no option but to pay it if we want to park outside our own houses - and most of the time, we can’t do that anyway. I often have to park in other roads nearby as there aren’t enough spaces.

“There are also houses on our road who own more than one car, so the price increase for them is going to be even more significant.”

When asked to explain the reasoning behind the decision, a Warwickshire County Council spokesperson said: “As a result of the gradual introduction of resident schemes over many years and the former arrangement of each district and borough having an individual civil parking enforcement operation, there have been multiple permit charges across the districts and boroughs of Warwickshire.

“In every case the cost of processing permits and operating the Residents Permit Zone has been significantly subsidised by Warwickshire County Council.

“However, with the current pressures on local authority budgets, it is no longer possible for the county council to sustain this at previous levels. Therefore, a countywide charge of £25 per permit is to be introduced.

“This still represents a significant cost subsidy for Warwickshire County Council but will contribute towards the county council being able to achieve its current savings targets.

“The change will impact residents looking to purchase or renew permits in Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough, Rugby Borough and Warwick District where the price of a permit has been increased to match the £25 per permit already charged in Stratford on Avon.”