"Keep Residents' Parking Free" - thank you for your support

5.58.28pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 20th Jul 2006

Stephen Tall campaigning with David Rundle to Keep Residents' Parking Free

Today was the last day of Oxfordshire County Council's consultation on the Tory proposal to introduce charging for residents' parking zones throughout the city of Oxford. Together with my Lib Dem colleagues, I have been leading the campaign in the Headington and Marston area against this 'poll tax on cars'.

We have been greatly assisted in this by the overwhelming support from local people that we have received, in particular from those who've signed up to our "Keep Residents' Parking Free" petition. At my last count, some 63 of you had added your names - really a fantastic result for an online petition on a councillor's website!

I sent off this list today - together with the names of those who've signed and returned the petition forms we've collected via our regular Focus newsletters over the last 18 months - to the County Council, with a covering letter signed by the four city and county councillors representing Headington. I've re-printed this, below.

Of course, just because the consultation period is closed does not mean our campaign is over. We will continue to collect names for our petition to demonstrate to the Conservatives on the County Council quite how opposed local people are to residents' parking charges. We will also press for the Tory Cabinet to honour the results of their (highly biased) consultation questionnaire. We will urge them to think again; and, if necessary, again and again.

Updates on this issue will continue to be posted on this site. There is a special web-page on this site devoted to residents' parking charges - www.stephentall.org.uk/pages/No2RPZcharges.html - where you will also find a 'vidcast' of me explaining your local Lib Dems' opposition to charging for residents' parking zones.

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From: City Councillors Stephen Tall & David Rundle, and County Councillors Gail Bones & Altaf Khan

20th July, 2006

Richard Dudding (Director for Environment & Economy, Oxfordshire County Council)

Dear Richard,

We write as elected representatives for the Headington and Marston area to express our opposition to the proposed introduction of charges for residents' parking permits.

The residents' parking zones in our area were introduced in response to the planning permission granted for the expansion of the Headington-based hospitals, and of Oxford Brookes University. It was known these developments would generate a significant increase in traffic in the local area, and that this would have an adverse impact on local residents.

The parking zones were the City and County Councils' means of addressing the traffic problems which we have witnessed worsening in recent years. They were a way of protecting residents from the increase in visitor and staff parking associated with Brookes and the hospitals. They were also a way of ensuring increased uptake of use of the park-and-ride buses, which aim to cut traffic congestion and associated pollution in the area.

It is, therefore, wrong now to impose charges on people living in the Headington and Marston area when everyone - in Oxford city, the county, and beyond - benefits from the top-class health and higher education facilities which have been built here.

A comment should also be made on the consultation. First, let us put on record that we are pleased the County Council is consulting on this issue, rather than simply imposing a decision. We hope the Cabinet will heed the results of the consultation - if not, this would only serve to increase the anger of Oxford residents, who are already in danger of feeling alienated from the County Council.

However, it will be difficult to gain much meaningful data from the consultation if you rely only on the questionnaire, which many of our residents have commented is in a poor format, and open to accusations of bias. Indeed, there is a legitimate concern that some people will have failed to return the questionnaire because they do not feel it can fully reflect their views.

We have been collecting petition signatures from residents in our area. Its aim is simple: to call on Oxfordshire County Council to Keep Residents' Parking Free. We append to this letter the names of over 125 local people who have signed up, and urge that this demonstration of local opposition be taken into account by the Cabinet when they make their decision.

Yours sincerely,

Cllrs Stephen Tall & David Rundle (Headington ward, Oxford City Council)

Cllrs Gail Bones & Altaf Khan (Headington & Marston division, Oxfordshire County Council)

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