ONE of Southampton's biggest residents groups has joined the battle against controversial plans to charge for parking outside your own home.

They are also urging others to get behind the Daily Echo Parking Mad campaign demanding a council U-turn over the proposals.

Council plans to charge residents to park outside their homes were revealed last week and have sparked anger across the city.

To make it even worse parking bosses say that despite forking out for a permit residents will still not be guaranteed a space.

Yesterday the Echo revealed how a majority of the city council Cabinet that approved the plan will actually avoid the new charge as their homes already have off-street parking.

Now, the East Bassett Residents' Association has had enough and has joined the campaign to call for the plans to be scrapped.

Association chairman Jean Wawman said it would discriminate against residents who live in certain areas of the city.

The 200-member association includes many people living within residential parking zones near to Southampton University's Highfield campus.

Retired civil servant Mrs Wawman said that residents should not have to pay the price of the university expanding its student numbers dramatically over the last ten years.

Click on the links below to read the reports the councillors approved.


For more, see today's Daily Echo.