Endless political divisions about parking have been caused by Labour Hounslow council's determination to follow its anti-car ideology at the expense of the success of the borough's high streets and shopping parades including in Chiswick. Parking costs were increased in Hounslow council's 2025-2026 budget despite strong evidence that plentiful short-term and long-term parking, and free stop-to-shop parking, brings people to shopping streets and encourages them to spend in their local economies. This list will be added to by Cllr Joanna Biddolph who supports parking, knowing its value to Chiswick's retail, hospitality and service business economy - and to residents who moved here because of its exceptional range of independents and chains.
Surveys
Petitions
- Ealing, Pitshanger Lane: Reverse Pitshanger Lane Parking Restrictions: January 2026
- Oxfordshire: Protect Woodford Way Car Park: Cllr Liam Walker August 2025
- Oxfordshire: Save Summertown Parking: Oxford Business Action Group April 2025
Media coverage 2026
- Oxford: Parking U-turn after Oxford University developer complaints: Matthew JC Evans, Oxford Mail, 14th July 2026
- Kent, Queenborough: What an empty car park tells us about the UK's debt problem: Michael Buchanan and Adam Eley, BBC News, 5th May 2026
- Oxford: Oxfordshire high street project set to last all summer: Matthew JC Evans, Oxford Mail, 25th March 2026
- Oxfordshire: Oxfordshire towns shortlisted for major new M&S supermarket: Matthew JC Evans, Witney Gazette, 15th January 2026
Media coverage 2025
- Greenwich: Greenwich Council scraps most of its 'controversial' parking scheme: Cameron Blackshaw Yahoo News! 27th December 2025
- New Forest: New Forest councillor 'concerned' over new parking charges: Ross Marshall Southern Daily Echo 21st October 2025
- Oxfordshire town's businesses hit out at 'anti-car' plans: Matthew JC Evans This is Oxfordshire 17th August 2025
- The staggering increase in Britain’s parking fines: Steve Bird and Ollie Corfe The Telegraph 19th July 2025
- ‘They’re not on our side’: Residents fume over ‘triple threat’ war on motorists: Albert Tait The Telegraph 29th June 2025
- London Ealing: Ealing Tories Present Petition Against Stop and Shop Proposals: Council want bays to be booked through a mobile phone app: chiswickw4.com 17th June 2025
- Gloucestershire and Forest of Dean: This council rolled out free parking in Gloucestershire towns – and it has been a success: Carmelo Garcia, Gloucestershire Live 19th May 2025
- Drivers to face harsher punishments than shoplifters: Dominic Penna The Guardian 17th May 2025
- York Bishopthorpe Road: Traders blame 500% parking rise for drop in takings: Seb Cheer, BBC News, 9th May 2025
- Surrey Guildford: Parking meters shut down to encourage app payments: Sam Dixon-French, BBC News, 10th April 2025
- Southampton Bitterne: Thousand sign Bitterne petition against parking charges: Cristiano Magaglio, Daily Echo, 10th April 2025
- Harpenden and St Albans: Council threatens legal action on parking fees: Tony Fisher BBC News 4th April 2025
- Oxford: Oxford traders fear loss of parking outside their shops: Esme Kenney, Oxford Mail, 1st April 2025
- Southampton: Free parking in Southampton to be scrapped from tomorrow: Maya George, Daily Echo, 31st March 2025
- Surrey: Free parking introduced to 10 Surrey towns and villages in bid to boost high streets: Carrington Walke,r Get Surrey, 26th March 2025
- Bristol: Evening parking to cost more in Bristol city centre but hike less than first planned: Alex Seabrook, Bristol Post, 24th March 2024
- Oxford: Public notices: Car park charge increase across Oxford: Jacob Manuschka, Oxford Mail, 23rd March 2025
- Yorkshire East Riding: Plans to scrap free parking back on the table: BBC News, 21st March 2025
- Drivers taken to court over car park keying errors: Caroline Lowbridge, BBC East Midlands, 2nd March 2025
- Southampton Bitterne: Bitterne businesses fear car park sale could be 'final blow': Cristiano Magaglio, Daily Echo, 3rd March
- Somerset: Evening car park charges dropped as hundreds object: Ruth Bradley, BBC Somerset, 3rd March 2025
- Parking is so expensive it puts two-thirds of drivers off visiting their local high street: Two new studies have found parking costs are detrimental to the high street: Freda Lewis-Stempel, This is Money, 28th February 2025
- Sadiq Khan launches another attack on London drivers: War on motorists worsens as Labour mayor approves ‘unjustifiable’ price increases: Joe Wright, The Telegraph, 21st February 2025
Media coverage 2024
- Sales surge at parking app as councils abandon cash: JustPark’s profits double as local authorities accused of using drivers as a ‘cash cow’: Matthew Field, The Telegraph, 8th December 2024
- Santa's Head Reindeer Gets Fined in Parking App Mix-up: Can Hounslow Parking Services learn a lesson from Scrooge?: www.chiswickw4.com, 8th December 2024
