There is quite a head of steam building up over the decision to charge residents to park outside their own home. You might have noticed how new charges are being quietly slipped in. The cancellation of the free County Council newspaper would have more than covered the income raised from this unfair tax.

Quite how councillors with garages have the nerve to charge householders with no garage I do not know. By having on street parking these residents already face higher insurance costs and more insurance claims and premium hikes. It is one rule for one lot, another for the others and it is not fair.

People pay their council tax in order to receive a service not to be charged for it and the bureaucracy of administering these charges means that are not even income generators.

My solution is simple: residents only parking on all terraced streets but for free, with tickets for anyone parking there illegally and strict enforcement of these tickets. Meanwhile I would have the first two hours parking for free and then charge extra to stop all day parking in our busy town centre car parks, more disabled parking and no cars at all on Bridge Street pedestrian precinct.

There is also a question that needs examining about whether Bridge Street from the clock tower at Newcastle Avenue up to the Town Hall should be made a one way street with traffic only being able to go up the town, with temporary 20 minute parking zones built in, so that business can get to those shops and the pedestrian zone can then be absolute, including the option of the market moving to Ryton Street. We need traffic experts to look at every option available to regenerate our town centre by encouraging passing custom. I throw this controversial idea out for all to consider, so shoot it down in flames or let me know your own views and ideas.

We need more letters protesting about Kenneth Clarke's Government's attempts to close our Magistrates Court. Send you letters to Olwen Kershaw, HMCS East Midlands, Nottingham Magistrates' Court, Carrington Street, Nottingham, NG2 1EE. It is important that you let your views be known. I would go further and I am suggesting that the Ceres Suite in the Town hall be offered as a new County Court, administered from the Magistrates Court. This would re-open proper access to justice for those in the North of Nottinghamshire. The Council should offer this immediately as part of a package to save the Magistrates Court.

More details on the plans to close Worksop and Retford courts are available on my website, johnmannmp.com