I used to enjoy browsing in Old Town but now rarely go further than the Co-op because of what I consider to be parking and public transport charges far in excess of value derived from the visit.

I think the cost of residents' permits should be significantly increased in order to provide them with a better service without enhancing their advantages over the rest of us.

Although I sympathise with the inadequacy of spaces at night, they do benefit from being close to all the facilities (that's why they live there, after all) and the proportional cost of having a garage or hard standing outside a house anywhere else in the town (council tax, maintenance etc) far exceeds a paltry £12 a year.

And what about all the residents' parking areas around the town which are empty all day but not available to shoppers for a quick stop off at, for instance, a specialist shop in Commercial Road (another place I rarely go any more)?

If residents are given cheap/free access to pay car parks at night, then we should be given cheap/free access to their parking areas during the day.

Certainly a review is required, but we need to take in the whole situation rather than just a limited number of residents if we want Swindon especially Old Town to thrive.

K JONES

Lawn