Today, Friday 29^th September, Member of Parliament for Plymouth Moor View, Johnny Mercer, announced he is undertaking a constituency-wide consultation on parking issues.

Parking issues have dominated public discourse in recent weeks, culminating in a dispute in the Council Chamber over a parking scheme consigned to the back burner.

Speaking on the announcement of his constituency-wide survey, Mr Mercer, said:

“I’ve had a number of people come to me with complaints about not being able to park near their own home due to the street being crowded out by workers who are not being able to park at their office site.

“There are a number of areas within my constituency that we have identified as hot spots and that is where we are going to start looking. So far, we have found real issues within Budshead ward, particularly around Crownhill and Derriford.

“I appreciate the Council is concerned about the effect on businesses, but that doesn’t apply in these places. People are crowded out from parking near their homes by people going to work, not going out to buy things or go out for dinner.

“My intention is to identify the issues, understand what residents think needs to be done – because there are a number of different options where changes can be made – and work as that connection between residents and the council to get this right. We are also going to have a look at what local organisations can do to improve these problems.”

Mr Mercer’s consultation will survey residents’ thoughts on where they believe the biggest problems are and what is causing them. It will then run through potential remedies, from permit parking to new car parks for workers, with the intention of better informing council policy making.

The consultation will initially focus on known problem areas and expand out as other areas are identified. The aim will be to encourage the council to work better with residents in understanding their issues around parking at home and improve on the current timescales set out by the council.