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THE unfairness of Sunday parking charges in Salisbury has been highlighted by MP Robert Key.

Not only have they just doubled, penalising elderly churchgoers in particular, but they are not being enforced equally for everyone, he said.

Mr Key described Salisbury District Council's decision to raise the flat-rate charge from £1 to £2 as "mean".

He said the Salvation Army had contacted him protesting that worshippers were now expected to pay £2 to use the Salt Lane car park to attend morning service.

Captain Valerie Morgan, leader of the Salvation Army in Salisbury, told the Journal: "I pointed out that pensions have only gone up £4 a week and people are losing 25 per cent of that increase just on a parking charge.

"The charge would be quite reasonable for a whole day, but not for an hour-and-a-half.

"And it's not just the elderly that are affected. For families and working people it's still a big increase. It would be better not to have a flat rate, but to charge less for under two hours."

Mr Key has also received complaints that people attending St Osmund's Church in Exeter Street are avoiding paying by parking on double yellow lines every week without intervention by the police or ambassadors.

"Parking on double yellow lines is dangerous, and it should be a matter for people's conscience," he said.

"But it's not fair anyway that one congregation is being clobbered while another is parking on double yellow lines for free.

"The ambassadors work on Sundays but tend only to check the car parks, even though the rules tell them their main function is to keep the streets clear."

The MP is writing to the council's transport portfolio holder Helena McKeown to highlight the problem.

He said: "I would much prefer it if there was no charge on Sundays, but if the council has decided that's what's got to happen, councillors have a duty to ensure that it is fairly enforced. Everyone should be treated equally."

9:17am Friday 28th March 2008

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