Plymouth residents' anger as parking permit reminders end
Residents in a Devon city have said they are annoyed the council is no longer sending out reminders about renewing parking permits.
Plymouth City Council said it would save £4,000 by not sending out 10,000 reminders each year.
It said it told permit-holders that reminders would stop and those with an expired permit would be fined £50.
City resident Simon Pearson said: "It's the first time I've had a fine so I was very upset."
Mr Pearson, who lives on the Hoe, said: "It is wrong that they should suddenly slap parking tickets on people when in the past they've always sent postal reminders.
"I didn't receive any letter in November 2010 warning me that the following year they wouldn't be sending out renewals, so the fine I was given was £50."
Richard Harding, who has a flooring business in the city, said: "I'm convinced that the amount of money they will make on fines will be far in excess of the £4,000 they'll save.
"There's no doubt in my mind at all, this is a money-making scheme.
"The council needs its citizens on its side not against them, and this is something which will definitely alienate them."
In a statement, the city council said: "Residents started being told they wouldn't get any more renewal reminders in November 2010.
"It's stopped the council from having to send out over 10,000 reminders saving the authority £4,000."
It added that in 2010 it received £376,882.93 from parking permit penalty fines, but since stopping renewal notices that amount had dropped to £365,349.03.