THERE is a serious anomaly in the £50 charge for controlled resident parking in Oxford, namely the many and varied loopholes in the regulations which allow free parking to non-residents.

The prime example is the illegal removal of resident parking signs in controlled zones, which thus allows free, legal parking.

One such illegally-removed resident parking sign was reported several times to the relevant authorities back in March. However, now we are in June, the sign has yet to be replaced.

Secondly, there is the problem of a vast array of maintenance vehicles, which are free to use resident parking spaces under the 20-minute unloading rule, which is abused in nearly every case.

Rarely are there any visitors’ parking permits issued when they should be in such circumstances.

For these reasons, it is proposed that the charge for resident parking should be absorbed into the council tax, to allow everyone to contribute fairly with no loopholes.

The present system is extremely unfair and frustrating to residents who are forced to pay while others don’t.

MILES DOBSON, Great Clarendon Street, Oxford