AN irate householder has hit out at a 100 per cent increase in the cost of permits to allow residents to park outside their own front doors.

Adrian Matthews, who lives in Victoria Terrace in Northallerton, says the increase from £15 to £30 came totally out of the blue and has angered many.

The residents permit scheme is run in Hambleton and Richmondshire by North Yorkshire County Council and allows householders who buy permits to park in streets which have restrictions and are patrolled by traffic wardens, without being fined.

The County Council say the zones help people living in areas where there is high demand for on-street parking, such as near town centres or large employers, giving residents priority.

But Mr Matthews protested: "It is really unfair to hike it up 100 per cent and not even consult us.

"I have to have two permits so visitors can have their cars outside.

"It may not seem like a lot of money but until a few years ago when this was brought in we didn’t pay anything to park outside our front doors.

"And it doesn’t even guarantee you will be able to park.

"If it had been an increase of ten or 15 per cent we could have understood it but it’s such a big hike and you wonder where this is going to go in the future.

"It really seems like somebody is ripping somebody off and it’s us residents. And there is absolutely nothing we can do about this, if we don’t have a permit we will get parking tickets the traffic warden comes round all the time."

The county council said information about the increases was issued in April and charges are still among the lowest in the country.

They say the increase, the first in ten years, will help fund investigation of new requests for parking schemes.

A spokesperson added: "A review of the charging structure identified a shortfall in administration costs of £123,000 a year. Increasing fees will not only help cover these costs, but will raise a modest surplus to allow the council investigate outstanding and new requests and, where justified, amend existing schemes and introduce new zones.

“The County Council strives to provide residents and other road users with the best parking management system available. Our parking permit schemes give some priority parking to residents in areas that are subject to the highest demand to give local people the best opportunity to have the convenience of parking near their homes."