I’m facing a parking fine every day for stopping outside my own home – but there are 600 people ahead of me for permit
A WOMAN claims she is facing a parking fine every day simply for stopping outside her own home amid a resident’s permit row.
The area is “heavily oversubscribed” as it is close to a train station, and the frustrated driver says she is forced to fight for limited unrestricted bays.
Annabelle Le Clerq held a resident’s permit for her street in Brighton for over six years.
However, when it expired on July 4, the 44-year-old allegedly missed the renewal date by just three days, which she partly blames on brain fog as a result of perimenopause.
The local council claims that she also missed the date in 2023 but was allowed to renew late “as a one-off”, only for her to miss the 2024 renewal as well.
As a result, her permit was revoked and she was placed on a waiting list for new applications.
Unfortunately, she is 592nd in the queue, leaving her legally unable to park in residents’ only bays on the road.
Mrs Le Clerq has already allegedly received two parking tickets and fears she could be hit with many more as spaces not subject to the permit system are few and far between.
She told The Argus: “I am utterly exasperated – being told I can no longer park where I live is causing me so much stress and worry.
“The council has treated me with zero empathy and has been dismissive of my menopausal symptoms.
“If my husband wasn’t self-employed and needed the car for his business I would consider getting rid of our car and never paying the parking department another penny.”
Even when Mrs Le Clerq does get through the queue, she claims that the permit will cost a whopping £395, despite her car being just three years old, due to the fact that it is a diesel.
However, council officials insisted that no exception could be made in light of the nearly 600-strong waiting list.
Councillor Trevor Muten, Brighton and Hove City Council cabinet member for transport, parking and public realm, said: “This resident, who lives in a parking zone where there is a waiting list of more than 500 residents, also did not renew their permit in time last year.
“Our officers allowed her to renew after it had expired but explained that would be a one-off.
“We also sent a reminder earlier this year that her permit was set to expire again soon and needed renewing.
“This was not done within the standard grace period and so it has been given to another resident.”
Mr Muten added that the council was undertaking a “parking review” which it expects to help reduce waiting times for permit applications.