I must respond to a number of points made about Brighton and Hove City Council's parking services (Letters, November 27).

The parking service is most certainly not a "stealth tax on people" as Mike Sherlock implied.

The purpose of the parking service is to make it easier to get around in Brighton and Hove by deterring dangerous and inconsiderate parking, reducing congestion and making the best possible use of the parking space available on our streets.

Already the city's streets are noticeably clearer and the positive feedback the council has received from emergency services, bus drivers and taxi drivers reflects this.

It is incorrect to state the purpose of the parking scheme is to deter cars from coming into the city centre.

The council welcomes shoppers and others arriving by car, as well as those coming by public transport, and has 21 off-street car parks where they can park, offering 5,633 parking spaces in addition to on-street pay-and-display parking and the park-and-ride service.

In central Hove, the creation of short-term on-street parking has freed spaces for shoppers that were previously taken up for most of the day by commuters.

The success of the service is not dependent on issuing as many parking tickets as possible. The council expects the number of tickets issued to go down as drivers get used to improved enforcement.

-Alison Hermitage, Lead Councillor for Transport, Brighton and Hove City Council