A Dundee councillor has reacted angrily to a call for parity over car parking permit costs across the city.
Lochee councillor Tom Ferguson, whose ward covers the Menzieshill area, said: ”Hands off Menzieshill parking.”
His comments come after SNP councillor Craig Melville, whose Maryfield ward covers part of the city centre, raised the issue at the scrutiny committee meeting.
Mr Melville had asked why there are three separate costs for parking permits in controlled zones outlined in an internal audit report on residential parking permits.
He pointed out that while it cost £70 for a parking permit for the city centre and £50 in Broughty Ferry, it is only £5 for Menzieshill.
City development director Mike Galloway told the meeting that the costs try to reflect the value they give and added that the permits were only introduced into Menzieshill to counteract Ninewells Hospital staff and visitors parking in the residents’ spaces.
”Menzieshill was brought into it because of the overflow problem and we wanted to avoid punishing the residents that’s why we made it a nominal level of charge,” he said.
He added that residents in the city centre have the value of CCTV while other areas like Menzieshill don’t.
Mr Melville responded by saying: ”Residents in the city centre feel they are subsidising the scheme in Menzieshill, and it’s unfair.”
After the meeting, Mr Ferguson contacted The Courier to express his fury, saying any review of the system to create equity would only result in a price hike for Menzieshill residents who were already being penalised by ”free parkers” stealing their spaces.