THE Northwood Residents' Association is implacably opposed to the concept of the Hillindon First Card.

It would appear that no cost-benefit analysis was prepared prior to the development of the scheme.

LBH seems to be unable to identify the total set-up costs of parking machines, cards, computer systems, staff costs and publicity, the annual running costs and the estimated benefits accruing to residents.

It has stated that the parking machines needed replacing anyway.

If this scheme hadn't been introduced, the machines would have been replaced as and when necessary, and the replacements would have been much cheaper as they would not need the complex components required to capture data, read cards and wirelessly send data to a central point.

The consultation process was totally inadequate. Only 150 residents were consulted in the first phase to test the acceptability of the scheme and some 350 replies were received from a subsequent mail shot.

This document contained questions that were biased towards favourable answers and, on the strength of these, LBH decided to go ahead.

The questionnaire did not mention the complexities or cost of operating the card. Nor did it mention that information about individual use would be captured and held on a computer for up to six years.

In a recent discussion with the Northwood Residents' Association, the leader of the council, Ray Puddifoot, agreed that the consultation process should have been much wider. He was also unwilling or unable to produce any cost or benefit summary.

Consultation notices of the changes to parking charges have been posted on lampposts and in car parks.

The notices in Northwood are at best ambiguous, and we have asked LBH to verify the correctness of the information.

If it is wrong, we believe that LBH will be obliged to post consultation notices again.

The scheme discriminates against non-residents. Mr Puddifoot said that this is deliberate policy.

Some 50 per cent of shoppers in Northwood will thus be discriminated against. Eastbury (Three Rivers District Council) residents are raising a petition protesting against this discrimination.

The new parking charges are being introduced on June 29, and yet LBH are sending out the cards in two tranches of 73,000.

They have admitted that they do not have a complete data base of eligible residents, so it is likely that many residents will have to pay higher parking charges as they will not have received their cards.

Any residents who are not in possession of their card will also suffer the increased charges.

This is an ill-conceived scheme and unnecessary expenditure in a time of recession.

Tony Ellis chairman, Northwood Residents' Association

by email