Following the introduction of a £5 annual administration charge for the permit, affected residents are receiving a letter asking them for their views on the future of these zones.

RPPZs are generally located near high demand parking areas (town centres, train stations) allowing residents, their visitors, and tradespeople to park easily or in some areas without paying a parking charge.

Over the years the scheme across South Lanarkshire has been successful in achieving their aims and despite changing travel and parking demands associated with the pandemic the need for RPPZs is expected to remain, especially as town centres and businesses recover.

Up to 2021 the permits had been issued free of charge. However, given increasing financial pressures the council considered whether it would be right to charge a small fee for permits in line with an Audit Scotland report encouraging local authorities to better understand costs and seek to recover them where discretionary services were being provided.

A review subsequently recommended there should be a fee which covered the administrative costs of issuing these permits.

This recommendation was reviewed as part of this year’s budget setting process and approval was granted by the full Council earlier this year to introduce a £10 charge per permit to cover a two-year period, the equivalent of £5 per year.

The charge was introduced earlier this year and is now being implemented as permits are renewed over the normal two-year cycle.

However, the charge has been subject to continued debate since its introduction.

Consequently, at the full Council meeting on 22 September 2021 it was agreed that all residents within RPPZs should be consulted.

Residents should receive a letter over the coming week and should complete the form and return it in the pre-paid envelope provided by 15 November 2021. Only one slip will be considered per household.

Please note that where existing permits are due for renewal over the next few months the validity has been extended until the outcome of this consultation has been assessed.

Existing permits will therefore remain valid, and residents should continue to display them until they receive further information from the council following this consultation.