Parking permit prices are surging in Newbury and Thatcham despite no consultation by the council having taken place.

For those who live in the Newbury parking permit areas, parking permits will go up by 66.67% on Monday April 1 from £30 to £50.

If you are a resident who has a blue badge, your parking permit is no longer free and will cost half the normal price costing you £25.

In Thatcham the parking permits will go up by 33.33% from £30 to £40.

Those who have a blue badge will no longer get a free permit and will have to pay £20.

Richard Garvie said “Given that there appears to have been no consultation with residents, I urge the council to pause this increase until a proper consultation has taken place.

“Given that disabled residents were neither consulted nor an equalities impact assessment, I urge the Council to abandon the plan to charge disabled residents until a proper consultation and impact assessment is carried out first.”

Next year residents of Thatcham and Newbury will have to pay an extra 50% for any additional cars.

If you live in Newbury, you will be paying £75 for additional cars, and in Thatcham £60.