2:08pm Friday 5th September 2008
By Carol Emmas
BUREAUCRATIC red tape over parking is causing frustration and anger in a Wirral road.
Even a toddler’s first birthday party failed to move town hall officials to give a “grace period” allowing mums to drop their children off outside a house.
Now an MP has stepped in saying the situation is “unbelievable” and has slammed the authority’s inflexibility.
The row centres around a residents’ parking scheme in Upton.
Roger and Janey Clay, from Fletcher Close, said they are feeling increasingly frustrated by the arrangement that allows them to have only one visitor per time.
Although they have parking in their driveways, the rest of the road is allocated to permit-holders only.
The scheme was implemented by Wirral Council in order to put an end to overspill parking of visitors to Arrowe Park Hospital.
“At first I thought it was a good thing,” said Janey. “Even though we hadn’t really had a previous problem with people parking in the close.”
But problems arose last year when they wanted to hold a birthday party for their son, Jake.
“It was a nightmare. We rang the council asking for a two-hour grace period for my son’s first birthday, when 16 children and 16 mums were to attend.
“We were told that no grace period would be given and that we would have to ask our neighbours if we could borrow their driveways or permits.
“This year we would have loved to have given Jake a birthday party, but it’s too much of a logistical nightmare to arrange.”
Roger said: “My wife is currently at home full time looking after our two young children and socially when she invites her friends and family to the house with their children she is restricted due to our single pass and has to knock on the doors of neighbours to ask if they can use their driveways.
“With two young children going out and having to knock on doors it is not an easy task.”
The couple wrote to the town hall to ask if they could be allocated more visitor permits, but they received a letter saying the scheme has recently been reviewed and that “following that review there are no proposals to alter the way in which visitors’ permits are allocated to individual residential properties within the scheme.”
Janey said: “All the neighbours have agreed it’s silly as the road is empty all day.
“All we really want is some extra parking permits so that myself and other neighbours can actually have friends and family come to visit.
“The only option that people have is to park in Arrowe Park Road under the 90-minute restrictions. But when they have young children, it is extremely difficult for them and they are also restricted to a visiting time limit.
“The whole scheme just seems nonsensical - especially when there are plenty of parking spaces standing unused in the road.
“Surely the residents’ rights for parking in their own street should be the most important goal for the parking scheme?”
Wirral West Labour MP Stephen Hesford, who was approached by the couple for help, said: “There has been a clear lack of cons-ultation and the council has misunderstood the needs of everyone in this road and surrounding area.
“It’s unbelievable that bureaucratic inflexibility either forces young mums to march kids up and down the road from a distance, or denies Jake being able to have a party with his friends because their mums can’t park properly.”
A council spokesman said: “The scheme was set up in the first place in association with the hospital trust and residents and, as a rule, works well to stop visitors to the hospital parking in residental areas.
“Unfortunately, as in most cases, you get situations which restrict visitors to residents’ homes. But normally we advise people to ask neighbours to help.
“We do make a dispensation for funerals and weddings and advise people to ring the council.
“But for the system to work properly there has to be certain restrictions upon it.”
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