Gia Borg Darcy is the Chairman of the Kingston & Surbiton Conservative Association.
What started as a Kingston upon Thames neighbourhood row over punitive street-parking charges because of an outing to get a milkshake from a local cafe business in Tolworth for my three young daughters has turned into a campaign with national ambition. I’ve launched a petition that I hope will force Parliament to legislate a clear threshold for on-street parking fees. For long has our Lib Dem council ignored out plea to listen to us and consult with local residents so we can have a say on things that really matter to us in the borough of Kingston upon Thames and this cash cow opportunity oppressing businesses and locals alike must stop. My argument is simple: local parking ought to manage space and safety, not be used to extract crippling sums from ordinary households.
On-street parking directly affects millions of us, households who either own cars or rely on visitors, tradespeople and carers. For many of us, overnight and permit charges have risen sharply in recent years — often in urban and suburban areas where off-street alternatives are scarce.
Patchwork of rules breeds unfairness: Charging regimes vary dramatically between councils. As residents, we can face vastly different fees for essentially the same service, depending on our postcode.
While councils have powers to set parking policy, national law frames those powers. Without a parliamentary safeguard, councils can use parking fees as a major revenue stream rather than a traffic-management tool.
A compelling narrative for MPs: The story resonates with small government principles, household finances, and protecting private property and reasonable access.
I’m asking Parliament to do a simple threshold: The petition calls for a statutory threshold that limits what councils can charge on public streets, ensuring fees cover traffic management and enforcement costs but do not become a de facto tax on motorists. Transparency and accountability: Alongside any cap, I seek stricter requirements for councils to publish income and expenditure from parking, and to subject significant fee increases to local consultation and parliamentary scrutiny.
Protections for vulnerable households: The proposals include carve-outs or protections for essential services — carers, disabled residents, and low-income households.
A threshold makes sense as it would restore proper purpose: Parking policy should prioritise congestion, access and road safety. Predictability for households and businesses: A clear cap would let residents plan their budgets and help small firms that rely on local parking. Local autonomy preserved, abuse limited: A national threshold needn’t eliminate local decision-making.
I’m eager to see this campaign bring about change and provide relief to households affected by extortionate on-street parking charges. Do support me by signing the petition on this link.
