THURROCK councillors have sent plans to introduce charges for resident's parking permits back to the drawing board.

The authority's planning, transport and regeneration overview and scrutiny committee stalled plans to introduce a £10 fee for a first resident permit and a £20 fee for a second. A third permit would increase by £5 from £75 to £80 but councillors complained there had been no consultation with councillors or residents. The £10 charge would earn the council £37,910 a year.

Chairman, Cllr Alex Anderson, said: "On a fundamental level I'm not comfortable charging residents a fee, however small, to park outside their own home. I can understand a small increase in visitor permits but I'm not very comfortable supporting the idea we are going to charge people a fee to park outside their own homes because they are living in a parking permit area."

Cllr Lee Watson said: "I think we need to be mindful we are entering into a cost of living crisis. We are already in it but it's not going to come to light properly until next year so the £10 or £20 you want you may think of as nothing but to somebody that's something on their gas or electric bill right now.

"I don't think it's appropriate to put any additional charges on to residents when we are going into a cost of living crisis."

Many of the permits are in roads around rail stations to stop people parking outside resident's properties to commute.

There are currently 5,055 resident permits issued in Thurrock. On average 90 per cent of these permits are issued free of charge. Residents are issued with two free permits per household.

About 75 per cent of residents have one permit.

A report to councillors said: "Any surplus income from parking is ring fenced and is to be used to meet all or any part of costs of the provision and maintenance by the local authority of on and off street.

"There has been a consistent increase in costs associated with the administration, enforcement, maintenance and management of these zones which are in place to prioritise parking in favour of residents over the last five years."

Councillors agreed the parking permit charge is pulled until further consultation with ward councillors and isn't agreed until that takes place.