BRIGHTON and Hove City Council is losing half a million pounds in unpaid parking fines issued to foreign drivers.

This will stick in the craw of residents already paying the highest parking charges outside London.

Frankly it is time there was a major independent review of parking in the city.

As a ward councillor residents complain to me about this issue more than any other.

Families and the elderly feel aggrieved that relatives have to pay to park when they visit them on Sundays.

Traders worry about lost business.

We are told that all the surpluses from parking go on concessionary bus fares directed by national government. To put this claim beyond doubt it would be helpful if one of the big audit firms were called in to scrutinise the books and publish a detailed breakdown of where the money goes.

This would be a different exercise from the purple prose we get in the council’s annual parking report. After all the record of the council in this area is not covered in glory.

For example there was the scandal of a sub-contractor charged with emptying the city’s payment machines going bust owing millions.

The new pay by phone system will help address the issue, but again residents feel short changed by the fact the service provider adds up to 20 per cent on top of a one hour park in winter.

At a time when the municipality is so cash strapped the city cannot afford to be taking residents for a ride.

Councillor Tom Bewick represents Westbourne ward, Hove