LondonDRZ, it's good to know that your CPZ works for you - and that you're happy with the cost - but surely a good scheme should work for ALL residents? For that to happen, a local authority needs to

(i) carry-out proper consultation; that clearly hasn't happened / isn't happening.

(ii) keep it's promises; you may be happy to pay the new charges but the fact remains that the Council promised us there would be no increases if we voted for a CPZ, then raised prices almost immediately. That's simply unacceptable.

(iii) strike a balance between the needs of residents and visitors. After all, some of us don't have cars - but we do have (and may rely on) visitors.

One of my neighbours, an elderly widower, lives alone and relies heavily on regular visits from his daughter. Surely, as a long-time resident and council tax payer, he should be able to buy a permit, which his daughter can use when visiting? Instead, she has to pay either ?1.80 or ?2.80 per visit - to say nothing of the additional time and cost involved in going to Deptford or Catford to purchase the permits. Try telling them that visitor permits "cost next to nothing"! It's nothing less than a Council-imposed tax on the visits which are his lifeline.

In short, I'm not opposed to CPZ's but I am in favour of genuine consultation, honesty over pricing and schemes that have been properly thought-through. Many other local authorities do things so much better - for instance, by making visitor permits available from the local library or post office. Why can't LBL follow their example? (Could it be that they have 'bought into' a standard NCP product over which they have little day-to-day control?)