Sir, I agree with Sushila Dhall (Report, June 9) that the consultation period' on charging for parking permits in Oxford is unlikely to make any difference to the council's decision, and that the result is a depressing foregone conclusion.

I have just received the consultation paper from Richard Dix. In light of the revenue figures outlined in this paper last week I disagree that permit parking schemes in Oxford run at a loss'.

Personally, I already contribute substantially to the cost of enforcing the parking restrictions' in parking fines received outside my own home, as I cannot find a parking space near my house in the evenings in order to unload my (usually sleeping) baby daughter. As a result I get frequent early morning tickets for leaving my car on a yellow line overnight (where it does not block traffic). Rather than parking attendants using their discretion to ensure the parking zones are not abused by non-residents, I get the distinct impression their aim is simply to make money. Mr Dix suggests that by paying for a permit I will be contributing to keeping the spaces free for residents' and exclude the general public'. Quite the contrary. The parking permit scheme already exists to do this. Now I will be paying so that non-residents can drive into Oxford and park in the two-hour parking spaces and across Oxford on Sundays and in the evenings free. Indeed, many Oxford University Press staff rotate their cars in the free parking slots in Jericho throughout the day, resulting in fewer spaces for residents and their visitors.

Surely a congestion charge, instead of penalising residents, would encourage commuters to use park-and-ride, raise money and keep the community's streets free for residents?

Charlotte Croft, Jericho