Brighton and Hove City Council seems to blow hot and cold on the issue of clamping (The Argus, February 28).

In an attempt to try to get some form of control over rogue parking we considered introducing clamping at Sylvan Hall. The council conducted a survey (as they are apparently obliged to do - strange that, I don't remember them asking us if we wanted city status, they just went ahead and did that).

In the event a majority of those voting said they were in favour of clamping, but the council officers decided that the majority was not sufficient to bring in the clampers. Another waste of time and money.

The council raises quite a bit of revenue from renting out parking spaces and garages. However, none of the revenue raised from these rents or from clamping fees, makes its way back to the maintenance of the spaces or garages.

Someone told me that the last year in which revenue from the road fund licence was applied to the maintenance of the roads was 1935. It is a stealth tax by any other name.

  • Barry Hughes, chairman, Sylvan Hall, Residents' Association, Bromley Road, Brighton