The more letters they get the more likely they are to take up your complaint with the council - so please send your MP a letter or email as soon as you can.
Writing to your MP is a great way to let them know about how the parking charge increases are affecting you and your neighbours.
MPs always reply to letters from constituents and we would be really interested to see what they say!
If you are happy to copy your MP's reply to us, please send it to Barnet CPZ Action at: BarnetCPZ@gmail.com or by post to:
The letter below can be used by copying it into an email, or you can copy it into a letter for posting. Even better, write your own email or letter saying how you are affected or giving your views on the parking charges. Please make sure you include a request for the MP to ask the council to reduce the charges.
The key requests to make to your MP are that they:
* state they oppose the increases,
* work with the council to reduce the charges so that they
* are more in line with other boroughs
*ask Barnet to give an explanation for why the increases are necessary and why the charges are so high.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FULL LETTER
[model letter]
Dear [your MP's name here] MP
You will be aware that on 18 April Barnet Council imposed the highest increases in parking charges of any London borough.
It is now cheaper to park a VW Polo in Mayfair than it is in Barnet. The cost of residents' parking permits (up from £40 to £100 for the first car), and visitor parking vouchers (up from £1 to £4), are the highest for any outer London borough.
Because Barnet charges a flat rate for residents' permits it is more expensive to park a small family car in Barnet than it is in central London boroughs like Westminster, Islington and Camden which operate banded pricing based on engine size or CO2 emissions. The £4 flat rate for a visitor voucher makes visitor parking in Barnet far more expensive than in any other comporable Borough. Visitor parking in neighbouring Haringey, for example, is charged by the hour, so many visits will only cost residents 30p or 60p.
I am writing to ask you to support your constituents by:
* announcing that you oppose these increases, and;
* working with the council to revise the charges so that they are more in line with other boroughs
In particular I would like you as my MP to ask Barnet to give an explanation for why the increases are necessary and why the charges are so high.
The council has not provided any justification to residents for these extremely steep increases, or the level of the new charges.
The increases are many times higher than inflation at a time when residents are already being financially squeezed. Someone visiting an elderly relative, or grandparents coming to help with the children,
could now be paying £24 a week in visitor vouchers instead of £6.
As my MP, I hope you will take up my concerns and use your position to encourage the council to revise these unreasonable increases.
I look forward to hearing from you.
[Your name and address here - if you don't include your address the MP
will ignore your letter ]
[Date here]
Where to send your letter or email:
Addresses are given below for Barnet's three MPs: Mike Freer MP
(Finchley and Golders Green), Matthew Offord MP (Hendon) and Theresa
Villiers MP (Chipping Barnet).
If you're not sure which one is your MP, you can find out by going to
the House of Commons website via this link:
http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/
Chipping Barnet - Theresa Villiers MP
Theresa Villiers MP, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
Tel: 020 7219 6212
theresa.villiers.mp@parliament
Hendon - Matthew Offord MP
Matthew Offord MP, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
Tel: 020 7219 7083
matthew.offord.mp@parliament.
Finchley and Golders Green - Mike Freer MP
Mike Freer MP, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
Tel: 020 7219 7071
mike.freer.mp@parliament.uk
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