I HAVE just received a £25 bill for a parking permit.

I wrote to Basildon council regarding the proposed increases, but as usual, received no reply. When this scheme was introduced it was agreed there would be no charge, as costs would be recovered by fines and increased income from the council-owned car parks.

Then the council sold off the car parks and introduced charges for permit parking.

When the council took over the role of the traffic wardens the cost of the scheme almost doubled.

Now in this area many people have paved over their front gardens and park off road, to avoid the cost of the scheme.

However, they can use visitors' tickets and occupy the few remaining places without day-to-day contribution to the maintenance of the scheme. Why victimise people who, like me, can have no access by road to their property and have to bear the ever-increasing costs of a scheme which many of the residents simply do not want?

Colin Clarke
Cowslip Mead
Basildon