The mayor of Bournemouth has condemned his own council over plans to charge residents up to £70 a year for permits to park outside their own homes. George Farquhar revealed he was blindsided by the controversial proposals, which have been introduced in response to visitors parking irresponsibly across driveways, pavements, grass verges, and even roundabouts.

The Liberal Democrat-led Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole(BCP) Council argues that "pirate parkers" are happy to pay the existing £35 fine for illegal parking, so tougher measures - including resident parking permits - are necessary to tackle the problem. Under the new scheme, miles of roads will be dotted with meters, covering residential areas such as Sandbanks, Canford Cliffs, Branksome Chine, Westcliff, Boscombe, and Southbourne.But the cost falls heavily on homeowners, who will have to pay up to £70 per car just to park on their own streets.

Originally from Dunfermline, Scotland, Mayor Farquhar is leading opposition to the parking scheme, saying: "This time next year we could all be paying between £70 to £252 for a pay-to-park permit.

We only heard about this consultation a day before it was made public.

As such we have had no approach made for our feedback on parking issues in the neighbourhood or how to tackle them."

Having lived under a permit zone in north London since 2011, the mayor said he has long opposed such schemes in Bournemouth:

"Since I moved from a Permit Zone in north London in 2011, I know the drawbacks, and I have been against parking permits here in Bournemouth, ever since I moved."

He also doubts that the fines or new permits will deter tourists from parking illegally during busy weekends.

"Inconsiderate and illegal parking has occurred every hot summer weekend since I moved here and tickets are always issued," he said.

"1000 plus tickets were issued last weekend, but not one of those 1000-plus parking tickets would or has deterred inconsiderate or illegal parking on hot weekends."

Farquhar argues that the existing £35 fine is a "bargain" for visitors with beach gear who park selfishly, and introducing permit charges won't change that behaviour:
"£35 for a car-load of folk with beach gear is a bargain. To introduce permit parking would not change that selfish behaviour one iota."

He warned the permit system is designed as a lucrative year-round revenue stream rather than a genuine solution:

"A Pay-to-Park street is a very lucrative revenue stream with the added bonus that it is low cost to administrate. A lucrative revenue stream all year round is the aim, nothing more, and it must be resisted."

Local residents have also voiced anger, feeling punished for visitors' bad parking habits. Jodie Bowman told the Daily Mail:

"It's frustrating to have to pay so much just to park outside where I live. It feels like the council doesn't care about the people who actually live here."

Peter Schroeder, chairman of the Branksome Park Residents Association, called the proposals "stupid":

"This proposal comes from the same council that is selling off key car parks. It is hypocrisy. We say no to residents paying to park their own cars on their own streets. We already have some of the highest council tax charges in the area."

He warned that charging residents and their visitors or tradespeople is a bad idea:

"Charging residents and their guests and tradespeople doing work in houses and flats is a stupid idea. The council should give much stiffer penalties to those who do illegally park. £50 is probably nothing to them. If it was £1,000 they would think twice."

Councillor Richard Herrett, portfolio holder for destination, leisure and commercial operations at BCP Council, defended the scheme, saying the revenue would fund additional enforcement:

"We welcome more than 10 million visitors annually to our seafront. We know at busy times we have a significant issue with illegal or inconsiderate parking. This significantly impacts road safety and can affect the quality of life for local residents."

He added that the new permit charges could help pay for more tow trucks and stronger enforcement:

"These proposals to extend seafront paid-for parking could generate revenue for additional parking enforcement and give us the ability to better enforce illegal parking across a wider area including increasing the number of vehicles which could be towed away in the worst parking instances."

With thousands of visitors flocking to Bournemouth on sunny weekends, the debate continues over how to balance tourism with the needs of local residents - and whether charging residents to park on their own streets is the right answer.