Resident parking permits go digital from November

From November, resident parking permits are going digital.

Residents who are renewing permits which begin on or after Monday 3 November will no longer receive a paper copy to display in their cars.

Instead, once renewed, the car will be registered as having a valid permit which can be checked digitally by our on-street enforcement teams.

They work in a similar way to car tax, which has not been printed and displayed for many years.

The change will help us to combat fraud, be more efficient and eliminate the need to print and post permits, reducing our carbon footprint.

How it works

The process for renewing permits remains the same and residents will be contacted, as normal, around 6 weeks before their current permit is due to expire to remind them it’s time to renew.

They’ll now also receive a text message a week before permits are due for renewal.

Residents who are unable to renew online will still be able to renew using non-digital routes but will also have a digital permit and won’t need to display anything in their vehicle.

These residents will continue to receive a reminder letter explaining how their permit works, the start and end dates, and what will happen when they need to renew in the future.

The switch will apply only when residents are due to renew their permits or change their vehicle, and any valid paper permits should still be displayed until their expiry date. 

More information can be found on our webpage.

A modern and efficient approach

Councillor Trevor Muten, Cabinet member for Transport and City Infrastructure, said: “This is good news for our residents who’ll no longer have to wait for permits to arrive in the post or stick them to their windscreens.

“Similar to vehicle tax, our digital permits will also reduce printing and distribution costs, so are better for the environment and our carbon footprint.

“Once in place, we’ll then be looking to roll out digital permits for trades and visitors.

“The switch to digital permits is part of our plan to make parking simpler and fairer for everyone. As a council, it’s important we continuously look for new and innovative ways to make parking serve our residents and be easier and more efficient."