There has been much ado about Westminster Council’s plan to extend parking restrictions; from January you won’t be able to park on single-yellow lines in the evenings; existing bays will charge until midnight; and charges will even apply on Sundays.

Nobody is in any real doubt that this is just another cynical ploy to extort yet more money from the already hard pressed people of London to help fill the Westminster’s coffers.

Westminster Council is not alone in this but perhaps they are the worst, even Band-wagon Boris waded in and although he said there is nothing he can do, I think there is…

‘Give the Mayor the power to coordinate parking across London’

It will of course require a change to existing legislation, which will of course mean that Parliament will have to have a debate on it. All we need to do is give them a nudge.

 http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/23049

 “We call on Parliament to give the Mayor of London responsibility for all parking in the city. The Mayor could then ensure that parking is adequate, fair and affordable, meeting the needs of residents and local businesses, and keeps the London economy moving. It will also prevent authorities such as Westminster City Council from using parking charges to increase their income at the expense of hard working Londoners. “