Nurses will get free parking within the borough's controlled parking zones (CPZ) after the council bowed to pressure.

At last week's Sutton Council environment and neighbourhood committee, councillors approved plans to extend the scope of parking permits for carers.

It means nurses who visit patients living within the CPZ will no longer have to use pay and display machines.

The change follows complaints from residents who were having to buy extra visitor books to medical visits to avoid carers getting parking tickets.

It was also agreed that concessions for people providing childminding services – such as nannies and unpaid childminders – would be provided for households within the Sutton and Belmont CPZ.

Since 2006 Sutton Council has allocated parking permits for individual carers and care providers.

Councillor Jill Whitehead, chairwoman of the committee, said: "We’ve looked at this issue as a committee and believe that this decision is fair and in everyone’s best interests.

"Carers provide an invaluable service to people in need – both young and old – and this extension allows greater flexibility for individual cases.

"We accept that a one-size-fits-all approach is does not work in all cases so this allows us to take the needs of people into consideration and assist them in their time of need."

 

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