Parking scheme will not be suspended for Christmas

One resident compared the council to the miser Ebenezeer Scrooge

A council has been compared to Charles Dickens character Ebenezer Scrooge for not granting residents a Christmas break from parking restrictions.

People who live in zone 15 in Cheltenham were given a one-off exemption last Christmas by Gloucestershire County Council.

It was a goodwill gesture due to rollout issues with the residential parking permit scheme, for which the council apologised.

A council spokesperson said this break is not offered to other residents in permit areas and so it would be "unfair" to offer it again.

More than 2,500 people signed a petition calling for the zone to either be scrapped or amended last year, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Residents asked at a full council meeting earlier this month if the county council would continue to offer a Christmas break for zone 15.

Cheltenham resident Ian Weaving said: “With many elderly feeling isolated with the introduction of the scheme the break was gratefully received last year.”

However highways cabinet member Dom Morris said there would not be a break this year.

'Bah humbug'

After the meeting, Mr Weaving compared the county council to Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol protagonist, the miser Ebenezeer Scrooge.

“It appears that in this case a due regard impact assessment has either not been conducted or has not been sufficiently considered," he said.

“Many elderly people can not use MiPermit and cannot get a paper version.

“A break at Christmas means they can have visitors, who can park outside, with no permit.

“I personally think it’s disgraceful at Christmas. A break at Christmas means a lot to elderly residents.”

A council spokesperson said: "We are currently analysing feedback from the engagement process that was carried out to create final proposal plans, so we can provide an improved scheme that meets the needs of the majority of residents.”