A Bexhill town councillor has branded prices for vehicle parking permits in the town as 'extortionate' and 'over the top'.

Cllr John Lee urged the town council to write to East Sussex County Council (ESCC) to raise 'serious concerns' about the charges.

He raised the issue at a town council meeting on October 28 and tabled a motion. He said: “We should write formally to East Sussex County Council to raise serious concerns about extremely significant increases in prices for vehicle permits and flawed emissions-based logic for charges to stationary vehicles.

“The recent restructuring of permit fees has seen some residential parking permits rise drastically. Forcing residents to pay up to £115 for a first vehicle, or £154 for a second vehicle, represents an unfair tax on simply living in central Bexhill.

“Residents are effectively being asked to pay a premium to park outside their own homes, yet they are given no guarantee of a physical parking space in return.

“While ESCC justifies these aggressive hikes as a tool to improve air quality and manage demand, linking stationary residential parking permit prices to tailpipe emissions is logically flawed.

“A car parked safely on a residential street emits precisely zero emissions. This pricing structure unfairly penalises lower-income households who cannot afford to transition to newer electric or low-emission vehicles, effectively pricing working-class residents out of their own neighbourhoods.”

He said he believed the charges were only £27 in 2019 and that at the time people accepted them, as the price was much lower.

Cllr Lee added: “Our constituents are not happy with these parking charges. They're extortionate and over the top. Originally they were fine. Now it's ridiculous.

“We should formally request a review of why these parking charges have gone up from £27 to £114. I want to know where this money is going because it sure isn't going into our roads.”

Cllr Tony Carroll added: “We need to know for the residents to see what value they're getting for money. If you went into a restaurant and just paid £150 and walked out with nothing, you're going to be a little bit miffed. And that's what people are doing now. They're not getting value for money.”

But Cllr Paul Wilson said: “These processes were brought in a few years ago because there were issues with staff working in shops and other businesses in town. Residents and businesses were crying out for parking controls to be put in place.

“I just think we need to be careful what we wish for and mindful of the other impacts. If they don't use emissions, they'll use something else. Length of car, width of car, height of car, or just flat rate charge for everybody.

“We could upset a lot of people if we rock the boat and ask too many questions.”

Cllr Lee's motion was defeated in a council vote.

An East Sussex County Council spokesperson said: “When the county council took over responsibility for on-street parking in Rother in 2020, charges were set at a lower level for an interim period.

“Increases have now brought these charges in line with other areas of the county to ensure that income covers the cost of management, enforcement and administration the parking scheme in Rother, and to ensure that no financial burden is passed to council taxpayers.

“Any surplus contributes towards the supported bus network, Real Time Passenger Information signs, concessionary bus fares and local transport schemes costs. Income and expenditure form parking permits published in the council’s annual parking reports which are available on our website.

“Like many other councils across the country, we have introduced lesser charges for low emission vehicles in a bid to encourage residents to find sustainable alternative ways to travel or invest in less-polluting vehicles.”