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OUTRAGED Southampton residents are today demanding answers on controversial moves to charge them to park outside their own homes.

The plans have been branded "disgraceful" and "unfair" by opposition groups and residents' association leaders.

Now they are calling on council parking bosses to reveal the truth behind their proposals.

Today the Daily Echo launches our Parking Mad campaign calling on city residents to join the fight for a U-turn on the plans.

It comes after the city council's Labour and Lib Dem Cabinet earlier this week gave the go-ahead for staff to look into charging residents to park outside their own homes.

Under the radical shake-up, residents will have to pay for parking permits - the first is currently free - while new parking zones in the city centre have been ruled out.

Since it was approved, the Daily Echo website has been flooded with comments from furious car owners.

Another option is for residents to use multi-storey car parks which currently cost £2 a night.

The head of the city's residents' associations, Peter Wirgman, has condemned the plans and estimates the new permits could cost residents as much as £50 a year.

Today campaigners against the move are calling on the council to answer three main questions:

  • How much residents will be made to fork out?
  • When the fee will come into effect?
  • Where the parking charges will apply?

Cllr Gavin Dick, Tory transport spokesman, said: "Slipping through a policy which means residents will be taxed even more is absolutely disgraceful.

"They haven't said where, when or how. Many people's permits will be up for renewal again in April. It's absolute confusion."

Initially a council statement said the charges were due to be implemented on March 25 but that date has since been revealed as the cut-off time for the strategy to be called in for scrutiny.

A council spokesman could not give any answers on where the new scheme would apply; how much the permits would cost and when it would be implemented.

She added that nothing would be decided until the item reappeared before Cabinet members but was unable to confirm when that would be.

The parking policy was agreed following recommendations from transport consultants who found that residents' parking schemes incurred a small loss and were being subsidised by onstreet parking machines.

Jill Baston, Cabinet member for planning and transportation, said: "We will be looking at ways of making residents' parking self-funding. Many other cities charge for all residents' parking permits so this is one option we will be considering."

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