By Laura Davis

Whitehawk residents are putting up a fight against recent parking charges as part of a pilot scheme by Brighton and Hove City Council for neighbourhood governance.

Currently, parking on the Broadway is either pay and display or residents only parking but the neighbourhood government is currently trying to amend these restrictions and put in one hour free parking bays with return restrictions.

The Whitehawk, Manor Farm and Bristol Estates, referred to as DueEast, are part of a pilot scheme that uses existing local community groups to form a neighbourhood council.

It is hoped the scheme will bring residents and service providers together to at look what could be done differently in the area, including exploring how money is spent and how services are delivered.

The pilot is run by localpeopled helped by Serendipity Enterprise Solutions (SES), a community development support agency.

One of the concerns raised by DueEast is the parking charges introduced on the Broadway in Whitehawk that are said to be affecting local businesses as well as the public’s pockets.

SES community development consultant Andy Silsby said: “There are currently a number of empty shops and local trades people have reported a 30% reduction in footfall since the introduction of pay and display parking in the area.”

Mr Silsby said the parking consultation is a great example of a small working party bringing together citizens to tackle the need to regenerate their local neighbourhood shops and shopping area.

He described the Neighbourhood Governance pilot as: “A small step for activities but a giant one for this community."

The pilot scheme began in September 2012 and is expected to run until at least December 2013.