Changes to parking permits for tradespeople in York

The changes will apply in streets with restricted parking

People in York will have to purchase parking permits for tradespeople working at their homes in future.

York City Council said this would stop residents in restricted parking streets using visitor parking vouchers for workers.

It also plans a two hour restriction for holders of the parking waiver which currently gives workers unlimited parking.

The council said there was a suspicion the waivers were being abused.

The waiver has been issued to 39 businesses, such as window cleaners and security alarm companies, which require a vehicle to undertake their work.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Graham Titchener, the council's parking services manager, said there were suspicions the waivers were being used for leisure rather than work.

"Observations show that cars are parked for longer than three to four hours easily," he said.

The new rules will limit the use of the waiver to two hours.

"It's two hours at that particular spot so if they move on to another area that two hours will restart again," Mr Titchener said.

Pete Kilbane, executive member for transport, said residents would be able to apply for up to three tradespersons' parking permits which would be valid for an entire day for the first time.

"Certainly for the tradespeople I've been speaking to that has been a sticking point for them."

Mr Kilbane said it would "free up property owners that have people working on their houses" and "remove any suspected abuse while still leaving that two-hour window for people doing jobs".