Croydon residents could be stung for thousands of pounds in extra charges and fines each year just for parking their own cars in their own streets, under the latest money-making proposals from David Cameron’s crazy council.

But a residents’ group is launching a fight back, and it is calling for public support to match a campaign which overturned similar proposals in 2002.

Croydon Council has already decided it is going to hike annual parking permit charges by 45 percent, from £48 to £70.

Now, Croydon’s ruling Tories want to have parking stormtroopers patrolling our streets in the hours before midnight, primed to slap parking tickets on our cars to raise fines of up to £80 a time, as they seek to extend the parking restriction hours on weekdays from the present 9am to 5pm on weekdays to 8am until midnight seven days a week.

With parking bays often full in the areas around central Croydon – North, South, West, East Inner and East Outer – such proposals could see residents paying £1.10 per hour just to park their car near their home, or risk incurring a ticket and massive fine. The proposals would also prevent friends, family and other visitors in evenings and weekends from being able to park freely in residential streets.

The money-making proposals could see Croydon Council breaking the law which strictly prohibits local authorities from using parking charges or speeding fines as a means of revenue generation.

“It is clearly a money-raising tactic,” said Councillor Alison Butler, the Labour spokeswoman for Streets and Environment said. “This is going to hit people in the pocket very hard.”

The snazzily titled CRAPP – or Croydon Residents Against Parking Plans – launched a campaign website at http://croydoncouncil.com/ offering news and details about the campaign.

They are calling on everyone likely to be affected by the charges to write to Croydon Council, and they provide a standard protest letter for people to download or print off.

• Complaints about the proposals have to be with Croydon Council by February 4 – so make sure you visit the website and join the campaign.
• And click here for links to the ever-so-obscure Croydon Council e-petition, to sign on and register your opposition to the changes.