RESIDENTS could be hit with charges of up to £50 for the first parking permits outside their own home, new proposals revealed today.

Reading Borough Council currently gives out the first permit per-household free-of-charge, but a series of new recommendations have been put forward, including charging for all parking passes.

Councillors will debate charging up to £50 for the permits, with the minimum charge put forward by officers set at £25. Number crunchers think they could rake in between £357,000 to £552,000 per year.

Sections of the town have been blighted by parking problems in recent years, including the roads surrounding Royal Berkshire Hospital and the University of Reading.

Controversial plans to convert hundreds of parking spaces in Redlands into pay and display residents' permit bays were put on hold by the council before being accepted.

However, new proposals announced today have revealed drastic changes could come into force in the coming weeks.

Cllr Tony Jones, Redlands' ward councillor, said: "A lot has changed since Reading’s Residents’ Parking Permit scheme was first introduced 40 years ago.

"As demand for parking continues to grow, more and more households are asking for their streets to be included in residents’ permit zones to allow them to park near to their homes.

“The level of demand means it is no longer sustainable to issue first vehicle permits free of charge, which is why we are recommending a charge is introduced to cover enforcement and administration costs.

“The review has also identified a number of other areas where changes could be made, including expanding the areas which could be considered for inclusion."

Other changes put forward by a parking task group include simplifying managing parking permit requirements online, increased enforcement of permit zones and giving some schools more parking permits than others.

The suggested changes will be discussed by the borough's traffic management sub-committee before a recommendation can be passed on the the policy committee for final approval.

Cllr Tony Page added: "There were more than 26,000 permits issued in Reading last year and we know that demand will continue to increase with more houses and former offices being converted into flats.

“The residents parking scheme was first introduced in 1976. While there have been a number of changes to it over the years, this important piece of scrutiny was long overdue in light of the increasing demands on limited parking spaces in Reading.

"The recommendations include a number of changes which, if approved, will result in a more effective and fairer residents parking scheme.”

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