There will be no increase in parking and resident permit charges, for Southall residents, for the next 2 years.

As well as freezing the parking and permit charges, Ealing Council has extended the opening hours of the Herbert Road Car Park.

The announcement made includes the following:

• Pay and display parking charges that have not increased for the past two years, will be remaining at the same level for a further two years.
• Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) permit vouchers (priced at £25 and £45) will be frozen for a further two years. The cost of CPZ permits has not been increased for the past two years.
• Residents in CPZ areas will also get a book of free visitor parking vouchers to use from April 2009.
• Residents will now be able to renew their parking permits online and an expanded over the phone parking payment service will also be introduced in early 2009.
• The abolition of parking charges in council car parks after 6pm and on public holidays, which was introduced two years ago, will remain.
• Following a review of box junctions in Southall, the box junction at South Road/Hamilton Road will be removed. Another one is planned yards further along South Road.
• The opening hours of the Herbert Road Car Park will be extended by 2 hours. It will now remain open until midnight due to the wishes of the Southall traders.

Councillor Phil Taylor, the Cabinet Member responsible for Parking Services, said: “There is a perception among the general public that all councils are seeking to raise as much money as possible from parking."

"Our charges for parking and CPZ permits are among the lowest in west London and we are committed to continuing to keep these low."

"Nobody likes receiving a parking fine, but with these announcements I hope to show that the council is working to try and make parking as easy and as stress-free as possible."

"With this announcement and the already announced changes I am implementing in Parking Services, residents before too long can expect to see a much improved service."

He forgot to mention that some of the junctions in Ealing may be illegal because the Council may have placed box junction where it should have placed T junctions and made junctions far bigger than it is permitted.

The Parking Ombudsman has ruled against Council on at least two occasions.

That is why the Department for Transport said it expected councils to pay back money which had been raised through unfair enforcement to motorists.

Ealing Council has no intention of returning any money it was able to obtain and continues to obtain by any dubious methods.