Parking permit perils for plumbers
Plumbers - 13/09/2006 15:56:09
Parking permits for Edinburgh's plumbers, electricians and other tradesmen are to be fast-tracked, according to the new council leader.
Plumbers and other tradesmen had originally been told that they would have to wait up to 18 months to buy permits that let them park while working.
However, Ewan Aitken today pledged that eligible tradesmen should receive them within five months.
Edinburgh's extended parking zones were set to cause chaos with plumbers and electricians having to fork out for pay-and-display tickets with a maximum parking time of four hours.
This raised fears that prices for services would go up or that some firms would start refusing jobs in the effected areas, as is currently the case with the city centre.
Mr Aitken said: "We have made providing trade parking permits a top priority and I want to see them out on the streets within the next four to five months."
But some tradesmen have said that even five months is too long to wait, with plumber Barry Scott claiming that he could end up "working for free because all of our profits will be spent paying parking fines".
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