RENFREWSHIRE Council has suspended charges in all of its car parks and on-street parking spaces following complaints made by key NHS workers.

The decision followed appeals by Renfrewshire residents for parking restrictions in the area to be being lifted for those providing essential services.

A member of staff at a local GP practice in Paisley stated on the council’s Facebook page that NHS employees were having difficulty parking in Glen Street due to local residents self-isolating but could not use Glen Lane, which is empty, due to restrictions remaining in place.

In response to the complaints, Renfrewshire Council today announced changes to its parking restrictions.

A spokesperson said: “To assist key workers in carrying out their essential duties, we are suspending parking charges in all council-run car parks in Renfrewshire and our on-street parking spaces until further notice.

“Restrictions will still be in place on double yellow lines, so we would encourage people to only use marked bays for parking.”

West of Scotland MSP Neil Bibby said: "I welcome Renfrewshire Council easing parking restrictions at a time when we are asking people to not use public transport and maintain social distancing.

"The council's approach is now far more sensible and sympathetic towards our key workers and it also now needs to be clearly communicated to them.

"This has been particularly an issue for our NHS staff who are heroes and are going above and beyond to keep people healthy and safe. They should not have been facing parking charges or fines after finishing a 12 hour shift and putting themselves at risk to save lives."

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