THE cost of parking permits is set to rise as resident schemes undergo a review by the council.

A new residents parking scheme policy would also change how the local authority decides whether to set up a permit zone.

A minimum of 10 properties must show their support for a scheme before the council investigates their request, under the new policy

More than 50 per cent of the properties in the area must be in favour of a scheme for it to then be implemented.

This means that the majority of those affected must show their support for the scheme in writing.

Previously, as long as more than half of those responding to a consultation were in favour, the council would implement the scheme.

But typically, less than a fifth of properties respond to consultations about the schemes which means that the views of all affected residents are not reflected.

Dave Brown, interim director of operations, also told members of the cabinet that the current charge of £30 per year is set to rise.

He said: "The current charge has not been reviewed for a long time."

The time involved in issuing and administrating permits more than 6,000 permits every year means that the scheme is unlikely to be recovering its costs.

Bury Council currently has 11 residents parking zones across the borough with the first one having been introduced approximately 20 years ago.

Under the new policy, the schemes will be reviewed every five years.

A draft policy has been waved through by the council cabinet.