WITH regard to the 'Overnight Permits' our beloved district council has now truly pinned their colours to the mast in respect of car parking charges.

When the town centre car parks are boycotted due to the introduction of charges, it is quite feasible to imagine the scenario that all streets within a half-mile radius of the town centres will either be adorned with double yellow lines, restricted parking zones or will be "residents only" parking with the district council impatient to get their greedy little mitts onto the requisite fees from the residents.

So you see, town centre residents, even you will not be exempt from the car parking charges!

The beauty of our pleasant little market towns will be destroyed by parking restriction paraphernalia. How anti-social can a district council get?

How deep is the district council prepared to trawl to claw further funds from the taxpayer?

Have they really assessed the cost of additional signage, maintenance, equipment and materials, enforcement officers, legal staff and costs incurred in the retrieval of unpaid fines? Not to mention failed businesses and the disharmony and stress being created as a result of their policy – all for a financial return with absolutely no guaranteed value and the distinct possibility that the initial outlay and ongoing costs will not be recovered.

A recently reported confrontational incident in the Lydney Co-op car park is proof enough of the likely stress and public anger that our beloved Council are introducing to the towns.

Already the store/customer good relationships are being tested and jeopardised.

Just imagine the stress created for a frail pensioner or an expectant mum visiting their GP surgery, having bought a one-hour ticket and the GP is running behind schedule.

The stress level increases enormously with the fear that they will receive a parking fine if the their GP consultation overruns the parking time.

As for the Queen Street residents who wish to use the Lydney town centre car park, the Saturday morning lie-in will be a thing of the past. At 9am on the dot you are likely to be ticketed and remember, the enforcement officers will probably have targets to meet as part of their contract and they are renowned for being "enthusiastic" in the execution of their duties.

It is obvious from the decision to reduce the proposed charges following the "173 responses" to the 'public consultation' that the council has absolutely no idea just how much the system will cost and how much revenue will be generated.

It is indeed very sad that our elected representatives consider it more democratic to heed the responses of 173 respondents than the 7,000 name petition and the many, many letters objecting to their policy.

Would it not have been so much more commonsense to have increased the Council Tax by two per cent producing a guaranteed revenue return than to introduce a policy that nobody, and I repeat, nobody wants.

Forest of Dean District Council, it is still not too late to cancel the policy. Pick up the phone and have a chat with Stroud district councillors who have recently scrapped charges.

Use a proportion of your reserves to replace the Con-Dem bribe, a bribe that has incidentally been resourced from tax that has been paid by us taxpayers.

Maybe even persuade the recently-named Rich-list council staff receiving in excess of £100,000 to take a salary cut, as many of your constituents have had to endure, and next year increase the Council Tax by a small percentage or even, dare I say it, look for greater efficiency savings in the Coleford HQ.

WJ Eatock

Yorkley