Suspend parking charges during lockdown

I AM writing to request parking charges in Bromsgrove are suspended for the remainder of this lockdown.

I know that Bromsgrove District Council intended to restart charging from January 2021 but following the PM’s statement on January 4, I would have thought that someone in the council would have taken action immediately to suspend charges and thereby reduce risk during this new national lockdown.

Government, scientists and the NHS are pleading with people to act prudently but Bromsgrove District Council are expecting everyone to press the same buttons on the ticket dispenser to pay for parking.

This could be increasing transmission of a potentially 50 to 70 per cent more transmissible virus.

Please can this be addressed urgently?

Our NHS workers are putting themselves on the line and we must do all we can to reduce risk at this time.

Many thanks and I look forward to hearing from you in the next day or two about this matter.

Heather Evans

Bromsgrove

‘Where is the next Churchill coming from?’

IN TRUTH, I think it would be fair to say, that the authorities don’t really know exactly how the virus actually performs, but they are learning all the time!

Initially huge amounts of condemnation and scorn were poured onto China, with many high-profile people adopting a totally unjustified ‘holier than thou’ attitude towards that country!

Apparently, China was the initial source of the pandemic, but at least they were, and are prepared to take the radical actions needed to address it – such a pity this country thinks it knows better!

That condemnation and scorn soon dramatically subsided, once China announced they had the virus effectively under control months ago, and now those very same ‘holier than thou’ers’ are eagerly searching for someone else to point their fingers at!

Unfortunately for those people, the fingers are now pointed clearly towards them, and those who make the decisions should be held accountable for their actions in dealing with this crisis – constantly pandering to powerful lobbyists, is not the answer!

Difficult decisions have to be made for the good of the entire population – distasteful as that might seem.

If they’re not capable or not prepared to make those decisions, they should stand aside, and make way for those who are!

Where’s the next Churchill coming from?

Don Smith

Birmingham

Help with contesting ‘unfair’ fixed penalty notices

YOU kindly printed my letter last time about a parking dispute with ParkingEye and I wanted to get in touch again to update your readers.

We wanted to fight the fine.

I did go through everything to pay so felt we were wrongly fined.

ParkingEye did not accept our explanation despite proof of phone information and we were dragged along having to defend ourselves, creating much work and upset.

Along the way I discovered a few things.

I want to create some public awareness around new consultations for Parking Enforcement Framework which is making its way through to legislation.

After agreeing to go to mediation (which was laughable, I wish I had recorded it) which the taxpayer pays for, we didn’t settle then and so a court date was made for January 4, 2021.

Then with about two weeks to go they, ParkingEye, withdrew their claim.

Which of course was great, but the whole thing was totally a waste of our time.

So many people pay these fines and understandably should if they are deliberately flaunting agreements, but so many people, especially these ONLY phone app methods are caught out, or simply can’t follow the procedures.

If they knew what was involved, they might stand up to these big companies.

I think people would like to know about these new guidelines, some of which have been in place for years now and in my case could have been implemented to save us the bother of what we have been put through.

A good place to go to for help and advice if you find yourself in this situation is www.resolver.co.uk – a website in conjunction with MoneySavingExpert.

Name and address supplied

Give Diabetes UK a boost with ‘Fakeaway February’

THIS February, we’re asking people across the Midlands to keep up the new year motivation by signing up to take part in Diabetes UK’s first ever FakeAway Feb.

Challenge yourself to swap processed foods and takeaways for healthier alternatives throughout the month of February, while raising vital funds for diabetes research.

With Diabetes UK by your side to provide advice, support, and most importantly – delicious recipes, FakeAway Feb is here to kickstart your home-cooking journey.

When you sign up, you’ll receive access to our online community where members can share cooking tips and tricks, as well as access to our FakeAway Feb Toolkit – where you can download your free meal planner.

It’s simple – one month, totally homemade.

Peter Shorrick

Midlands and East Regional Head at Diabetes UK

EDITOR’S COMMENT

AMONG the much-publicised alleged Covid regulation breaches this week were the two Derbyshire friends who received fines and then had them rescinded and the Prime Minister’s seven-mile cycle ride.

Details were sparse but most serious cyclists would agree seven miles (14 with the return journey) is not an overly-long ride so provided he did not stop and socialise that should be fine.

Less finger-pointing and each of us ensuring we follow the rules would be a much better approach to stopping the spread.