Commuters accused of leaving vehicles outside Wigan flats

A frustrated resident has claimed that motorists are taking up parking spaces reserved for those living in a high-rise flat block, by borrowing parking permits from tenants.
Residents at Scholes flats are not happy with the parking situationResidents at Scholes flats are not happy with the parking situation
Residents at Scholes flats are not happy with the parking situation

Douglas House in Scholes is reportedly being exploited by commuters for its proximity to the town centre. Drivers are said to be borrowing permits allocated to tenants, as a way of parking close to their place of work without having to pay for the privilege.

Each high-rise is issued with up to three permits, which one angry tenant claims others abuse by lending them out to motorists, at the expense of herself and other tenants who need the spaces.

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The lady, who asked not to be named, pays £60 a month for parking. She said: “I have a permit, and I pay for the privilege of parking here.

“I work all hours and come home at different times. I can’t get a parking space after a night shift. We are getting people using the car park and walking into town, then getting back to their cars at 5pm.

“They are borrowing people’s passes. The council can’t seem to do anything.”

The inconvenience once resulted in a fine for the lady after she was forced to park elsewhere with no spaces being available at Douglas House.

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Despite reporting the ongoing issue to the council, and making a note of the registration numbers of the offending cars, the tenant feels nothing is being done to remedy the situation.

“They’re not taking it seriously, anyone can park on here. There are no cameras around here. I have said they should get cameras up if we are paying £60 per month - they need to monitor these people. There are a lot of residents in uproar about this.”

The council, however, says the complaints have been acted upon.

Vicky Bannister, assistant director for homes, said: “We have received complaints that tenants and residents are giving their permits to other people to use. These complaints have been looked into and we have taken the most appropriate course of action based on the evidence received.”

She added: “I would like to remind residents that permits are not transferable and should only be used by the resident or their legitimate visitors to park.”