Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
More Exceptional Resident Parking Charges from Haringey
I've just come across yet another way that Haringey Council stands out amongst its peers as making exceptional and unnecessary parking charges to residents.
Last year, I found that Haringey was alone amongst north London boroughs in refusing to refund unused visitor permits. Although I successfully challenged that on my own account, the Council have since muddied the waters further and now it seems that the staff can't even agree on the situation. But the result is that refunds are refused as a matter of course.
This week, I came across another exceptional sneak charge for resident parking.
There are times when the car has to go into hospital. If you're lucky you get a courtesy car, you need to make arrangements to park it. I had to avail myself of a courtesy car this week and, with a heavy heart, trudged up to Wood Green Library to make arrangements. The member of staff was very helpful and processed all the necessary. Finishing off, she handed me my temporary permit and said, "Thank you. That's £30 please".
So, I'm not adding a car, I'm replacing one temporarily - as it happens one with lower emissions than my own car. But they want to charge me £30. It's a uniform charge for 20 days whatever your existing car is. It seems totally out of proportion.
The bizarre proportionality of the charge is even more evident when set against the annual resident permit charge. For the lowest band, the charge is 150% of the annual charge! Yes that's right, the courtesy car charge is 50% more than the full parking permit charge for the whole year! For the next band it's 100% and so on, until by Band 6 it's 30% of the charge.
At Band 2, the normal parking charge for an annual permit calculated on a daily basis is about 8p. At courtesy car rates it's £1.50 a day - or almost 20 times as much - and that's on top of the annual permit you've already paid for.
This can't be right. So, I thought I'd quickly check the situation in the neighbouring boroughs of Islington, Hackney, Enfield, Camden, Waltham Forest, Barnet and Brent.
ALL the other boroughs make NO charge. You can make a temporary change free of charge, either on line, by email and phone or in person. Even Westminster only charge £10.
So, yet again, where all the other neighbouring boroughs choose to charge nothing, Haringey are making sneaky additional parking charges that hit those least able to pay the hardest.
Let me be clear, I'm not complaining about the £30. Fortunately, I'm perfectly able to pay it without any hardship. But I'm sure there are plenty of others on extraordinarily tight budgets for whom this charge is a real burden.
After my last experience of inaccuracy/mendacity over visitor parking permit refunds, I may just check that the Council are following their Traffic Management Orders on this. But, either way, this is an unnecessary charge which isn't made by neighbouring councils. It puts an unfair burden on those least able to pay and should be scrapped without delay.
Tags for Forum Posts: parking, parking permits, visitor parking permits
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by JJ B on
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It isn't just the apparent money grabbing. Surely the officers caught up in all the little inefficiencies of all these nonsense bureaucratic acts, could use their time better on things that really make our lives/neighbourhoods nicer to live in.
But speak to some councillors and they just do not get it!
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Permalink Reply by Matt on
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The sheer level of fuss and bureaucracy to get visitor parking permits is a fine example. Compare it to shopping at say Amazon, or even online from a supermarket.
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I was in the same situation, however I went to the Wood Green library with a sales receipt and they exchanged my permit without question. It’s not necessarily money grabbing, but incompetence.
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Thanks
How much do these other boroughs charge for the original parking permit? To me £20 for a year sounds way too low, we should be encouraging people on to public transport and car clubs, with the exception of free permits for disabled/elderly.
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That's for up to 100g CO2/KM, most in the borough will be paying in the £180 - £260 region per year.
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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I was surprised to learn from a couple of neighbours recently that they pay £20. Both drive mid size diesels.
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Ah yes, I forgot about diesels and that particular issue. CO2 is not really a great measure of pollutants, as was told to Gordon Brown before he introduced the new tax bandings. More info at https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/labour-diesel-vehicl...
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I agree, but sadly many just seem to assume they can and should be entitled to run a car...
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Of course but at quite cost to themselves, others and the environment!
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Permalink Reply by Cat A on
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It's just so frustrating, because any time you have to get parking permits, almost everyone else in the queue is also getting permits! The online system is a joke, so everyone ends up going in person (and online/post isn't even an option if you need Homes for Haringey estate parking - if you live in an ex-council flat you're just assumed to be available 9-5 )
Surely wasting so much council staff and residents' time doesn't make sense!
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Permalink Reply by Saddic on
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Ah, but at least you have the option to pay on-line. If you are applying for a Blue Parking Badge or it's Companion Badge the only option is to apply by post - so those who are least able to get out have to get to a post box/post office to apply. The discrimination has been pointed out but nothing has changed.
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