Warning For Ealing Residents To Check Parking Permit Renewal

After complaints that council don't send reminders

Ealing Council has been criticised for hitting soft targets after a local driver was fined for not renewing his parking permit in time.

Tony Fiedhouse from West Ealing paid for his original permit in August 2017 and received confirmation from Ealing Council by email, however, he says, despite the authority having all the relevant details on file they did not send any reminders.

He tells us,  ''Last week I found a parking fine on my windscreen. £60. I paid up straight away. The only email I received from the Council were two emails dated 1 and 8 August informing me that a new system of residents parking was going to be introduced ‘in the autumn’. This was not directed to me personally, it was a general message to residents. The main item in the message was that the new charges were to be based on emissions. There was no link or suggestion about how to renew.

''All parking permits are now arranged by email.  Unless you make a note of the date and the number, and some way to remind yourself in a year’s time, you will forget to renew until you get fined, like me.

"But the Council has everyone’s details including email addresses, don’t they? Why couldn’t they send me an email saying your permit is about to expire. Renew now. Instant income for the Council I would have thought. Hmm. Surely it couldn’t be because this way they get a renewal fee and a penalty fine??''

To add insult to Mr Fieldhouse's case he said he had to pay an additional fee for parking outside his own house because the online system for renewing residents parking permits wasn't working.

A council spokesperson said: “We upgraded our system for parking permits in July, moving services online for the benefit of residents. This now means customers have easy access to all their information in one place including permit processing updates and expiry dates.

“Customers who have signed up or renewed their permit online under our new system receive a renewal reminder for their permit as a courtesy. As always, we advise permit holders to log in to their account regularly and make a note of their expiry dates to avoid any additional charges.”

October 3 (updated 5) 2018