Mayor of London Boris Johnson has announced that free parking offered across 600 Transport for London (TfL) red routes will be extended by ten minutes.

His 'Stop and Shop' initiative is aimed at making busy London high streets more accessible to consumers.

These parking bays currently allow people to stay for 20 minutes while they nip into the nearby shops, but this will be increased to half an hour.

The changes have been made following in-depth consultation with Londoners, businesses and borough councils.

Mr Johnson confirmed 19 of the 22 boroughs affected by the plans supported the idea. Of the three that did not agree with the proposals, TfL has not implemented any changes, although it is still working with the groups to find ways to make shopping districts more accessible.

The idea of the scheme is to help struggling high street retailers attract more trade and organisations such as the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) have been calling for such measures for some time.

Mr Johnson said he was "thrilled" to be extending free parking provisions in the city.

"Parking is a hot topic for Londoners going about their daily lives, as well as for the capital's businesses and retailers," he commented.

"This will make a huge difference to local businesses and I hope everyone will embrace the new 'Stop and Shop' bays."

Of course, parking attendants will still be on hand to ensure drivers do not take advantage of the offer by staying in a bay for longer than 30 minutes.

The FSB's London chairman Sue Terpilowski welcomed the announcement and said 64 per cent of the organisation's members claimed that parking restrictions had a negative impact on their trade.

She added these "sensible" measures will help high street retailers compete with store owners at out-of-town shopping centres, where parking is generally free.

Work to change the signs at the affected bays has already been completed and TfL has advised Londoners to check the roadside notices to ensure they do not stay in a bay for too long.

Unity Recruitment are the parking specialists in London & across the UK. For information on parking jobs in London, contact our team of recruitment consultants at Unity Recruitment.

Getting stuck in a rut in a dead-end career is something many people fear, so thinking about ways to get out of such a situation is always worthwhile.

One woman believes the answer is to turn to secretarial work, which she suggested is varied, challenging and satisfying.

Sherri Eckworth, 45, won the PA Of The Year award in London earlier this month and she has told the Daily Mirror how her career has been turned on its head by a move into this line of work.

She is executive assistant at digital marketing agency TMW in Soho, where her responsibilities include organising the schedules of the managing director, chief operating officer and chief services director so that they are all in the right places at the right times.

"I love the work. It's satisfying to use my organisational skills to keep things running efficiently," Ms Eckworth explained.

It is a far cry from her previous life in and out of part-time jobs and taking on cleaning duties in order to make ends meet. At no point did Ms Eckworth ever believe she would have a successful career in London on her CV.

"Ever since I started out, my career has meandered. I've worked hard, grabbed opportunities and progressed naturally," she stated.

The birth of her son Sean saw her continue in part-time and low-paid roles, but when he was two-and-a-half she decided she wanted to do something more prestigious, so she found a job in Romford as a receptionist.

Ms Eckworth said this was the obvious starting point for a career as a secretary or a PA, and before long she was moving to London to pick up a better job and a higher salary.

Now, she enjoys a challenging daily routine where she can put her skills to the test and achieve great results. Not only has secretarial work changed her life, it has allowed her success to be recognised at the recent awards ceremony.

For information on the commercial recruitment services we offer, including administration recruitment, get in contact with Unity Recruitment.

A city council is making a significant move in a bid to drive up parking revenue on a busy street in Glasgow.

Kilmarnock Road in the Shawlands area of the Scottish city will soon attract parking charges of 80p an hour, up from the current rate of 20p an hour, a rise of 300 per cent, the Evening Times has revealed.

It is not only Kilmarnock Road where parking charges are on the rise either, as Glasgow City Council has also opted to increase tariffs on 30 other streets in the city. These include Duke Street, Paisley Road West and Great Western Road.

The new higher fees will come into effect on December 6th and could help the local authority to increase its revenue.

Figures show on-street parking in Glasgow has generated an average daily income of £23,826 for the city council in recent times.

A representative of the council said: "Parking charges in many areas of Glasgow, such as Kilmarnock Road, have not increased since 2004. We are establishing an annual review of tariffs in response to inflationary demands, market conditions and effective traffic management controls.

"The range of parking controls in use, and the facilities we invest in, are in line with our Local Transport Strategy, which seeks to support greater use of public transport."

Revenue from parking has increased at a steady rate over the last four years, so the council's decision to increase tariffs could help to maintain this trend. In 2009-10 the figure stood at £8.317 million, while this had risen to £8.522 million by 2011-12.

However, thousands of motorists in the city are being affected by the hikes in parking fees and this is not the first time prices have been changed in recent months.

The news source explained the cost of parking in some Glasgow streets was increased by 100 per cent in September, with the cheapest places to leave a car typically among those included in the change.

For information regarding the parking jobs offered by Unity Recruitment, get in touch!

People who opt to park in certain streets in Nottingham will soon find their only method of paying is by mobile phone.

Yellow lines and signs for a new service by RingGo have been installed in roads around the New College Nottingham Basford Hall site, reports the Nottingham Post.

While permits will be handed out to some residents and those with a blue badge will still be able to park for free, everyone else will have to pay for parking via a mobile. This means all visitors and commuters who use the streets in question will have to use the service.

Restrictions are set to be put in place between 09:00 and 17:00 GMT on Mondays to Fridays and the charge will be £1.50 per day. Households on the streets that are included in the scheme are able to secure up to three residential and visitor permits.

A council spokesman said: "The aim of these new arrangements is to manage parking in some residential streets by striking a better balance between residents and commuters for the availability of spaces."

The representative added RingGo is simple to use and setting up an account is easy. Any parking space can then be paid for as soon as it has been found.

However, some local people have yet to be won over by the idea, with Martin Clough of Aspley suggesting the scheme is "just too inconvenient and complex" for occasional visitors. He also described it as "just another barrier" for a lot of people who may wish to spend time in the area.

Dennis Andrews, chairman of Nottingham Elders' Forum, indicated one problem could be the fact that not everyone has a mobile phone - and even some of those who do may not be confident about paying for parking with it.

He also pointed out that it is possible people could run out of battery or lose signal, making it difficult to complete a transaction.

Unity Recruitment are a recruitment agency working with people looking for parking jobs in London as well as across the rest of the UK. Get in touch for information regarding all of our latest roles.

Authorities have confirmed a ban on parking on verges and footways in Tilehurst will continue after relatively few problems were triggered by its implementation.

A handful of objections were received from local residents and in one case two neighbours became embroiled in a fall-out, but there were also plenty of positive comments about the scheme, reported the Reading Post.

For instance, the Neighbourhood Action Group offered its support to the measure, stating: "It was a great relief not to have to negotiate cars on pavements."

Enforcing a parking ban on verges and pavements makes it easier for local people to walk and cycle, while it can also make the roads a safer place as there are fewer obstacles and vehicles blocking sightlines.

The traffic management sub-committee recently received a report detailing the results of a 12-month trial of a parking ban in the area. It has now opted to continue the scheme, meaning cars will not be allowed to park on verges in the future. What's more, it is considering adding an extra parking ban in Southcote.

In May, the rules were introduced and any driver found to contravene the ban was sent a warning. From July, the warning period was over and motorists were instead given a penalty charge notice if they were found to be parked on verges and footways.

Councillor Tony Page, chairman of the sub-committee, said: "That is why we believe in an area-based approach rather than a blanket approach."

Any local authority that takes the decision to ban parking in certain areas should hire wardens to ensure the rules are being adhered to and, in cases where they are not, hand out penalty charge notices.

Councillor Deborah Edwards raised one possible concern about the scheme, explaining it is important disabled drivers are not impacted. She asked the council to ensure they will still be able to park in suitable locations.

Here at Unity Recruitment, we are one of the only specialist parking recruitment agencies in the UK. Get in contact for more information on the services we can offer.

Councillors in Brighton have strongly disagreed with each other over plans to introduce free parking in the city in the run-up to Christmas.

Members of the Green administration last week described the idea as "anti-business" and suggested it would cost the local authority £112,000 in lost income.

Despite this, opposition councillors from the Conservatives and Labour have forced through the plan, meaning parking will be free of charge on December 7th, 8th, 15th and 22nd at the High Street, Trafalgar Street, Regency Square, London Road and Norton Road car parks.

Green leader Jason Kitcat told the Argus he admired the optimism that those backing the scheme had regarding its ability to attract people to the city who will subsequently spend lots of money, but is adamant it remains a bad idea.

Indeed, the council head described the plan as being equivalent to "giving away free tickets to the cinema for a Saturday matinee that would be packed anyway", as well as a "waste of taxpayers' money".

Councillor Ann Norman was one of those who backed the project and said a quick browse on Google showed her that 25 other councils in the UK are already offering free or cheaper parking in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

"If they can do it, why can't we?" she asked.

But councillor Kitcat said Brighton is a special case and simply comparing it with other towns and cities is foolish.

"A lot has been made of the Google analysis of free parking in places like Lancaster and Morecambe. I must say they're slightly different to Brighton, where some places here are the most densely populated in Europe," he explained.

Despite his objections, support from councillor Norman and Labour counterpart councillor Warren Morgan saw the scheme approved and parking will now be free in the city on the selected dates.

The council may have to consider redeploying its team of wardens and parking attendants if it is to maximise revenue around this time.

If you're looking for parking jobs, or parking recruitment for your business, then get in contact with Unity Recruitment.

A local authority is due to come together next week in a bid to thrash out the details of a parking scheme in one part of Bristol, with further restrictions likely to be imposed.

Members of the Downs Committee will meet on Monday (November 18th) to discuss the impact of a residents' parking scheme that is due to come into effect in Clifton, reports the Bristol Post. They do not want a ripple effect to be felt across the area, so taking extra measures is the probable course of action.

In particular, parking on the Downs - a popular parkland - must be prevented and the committee is set to look at this.

A working party set up by the committee to study the matter in more depth has already recommended making changes. Among the steps that could be taken are to paint single and double yellow lines in the affected zones and introduce a four-hour parking limit during the hours the permit scheme is active.

Peter Mann, transport director at Bristol City Council, said: "It is difficult to determine the numbers of vehicles that the residents' parking scheme areas are likely to displace due to a wide range of reasons that people have for parking in the area at the moment and why they choose to park where they do."

He went on to suggest it is now certain that "additional measures need to be put in place to protect the Downs".

Members of the committee are already working on a draft proposal of the parking restrictions they want to see come into effect in the Clifton area. If successful, it could trigger a need for more parking wardens on the streets to ensure local people adhere to the rules.

As well as keeping motorists in order and enhancing safety levels, a modern parking scheme can also provide a tremendous boost to the coffers of a local council. For more information on the services offered by Unity Recruitment, contact us today.

A council in London has decided it must refund more than 5,000 people who were given parking tickets on its streets after finding that signage in the area was substandard.

Westminster City Council admitted signs it had installed were "confusing" to motorists and could have led to people parking in bays that were actually meant for taxis. It must now pay out around £278,000 in refunds to people who were given a ticket during the time when the signs were in place.

Originally installed in 2011, the signs state charges apply to drivers who park in certain areas of central London between 08:30 and 18:30. However, crucially, they did not also indicate that the bays turned into dedicated taxi ranks after 18:30 each day.

It means those who parked in Oxendon Street, Jermyn Street and Conduit Street - largely under the presumption they could do so for free in the evenings and before 08:30 - will now receive a refund as the instructions were unclear.

Such confusion could be ironed out by having more wardens on streets to answer queries relating to parking regulations.

Councillor Nickie Aiken, cabinet member for parking, explained: "Dual use bays are all about maximising the space at the kerbside in the city to enable fair and easy parking for everyone.

"However, we accept that the parking signs in these streets could have given rise to confusion among motorists and so we are making a one-off exception - it is the right thing to do. We have now also replaced signs as a result."

The council is keen to point out the decision to refund penalised motorists is purely a "one-off" and will not become a standard procedure in the future.

Every driver who is known by the council to have received a ticket in the relevant period will be sent a form by the local authority offering them the chance to apply for a refund. It is also possible to check for details on the council's website.

If you're looking for recruitment in North London, or anywhere else in the UK, get in contact with Unity Recruitment today!

Here at Unity Recruitment, we were one of the first to hear of the news that the removal of traffic wardens from the streets of some towns and cities in Scotland would end in chaos on the roads and a loss of business in local shops.

That is the opinion of East Lothian Council leader Willie Innes, who believes a lack of parking attendants on the country's roads could spell disaster.

He told the Edinburgh Evening News there are several worries that councillors have about a proposal to withdraw a number of traffic wardens. Police Scotland has suggested it could remove all police-funded wardens from the streets in order to cut costs.

As a result, local authorities would have the option of paying for their own wardens or going without - a prospect Mr Innes indicated does not bear thinking about.

"One of the concerns is that with no traffic wardens to enforce time restrictions in parking bays, motorists will park all day, which greatly reduces turnover of vehicles. This could have significant negative impact on shops and businesses in town centres," he stated.

Some parts of Scotland - including Edinburgh - have already seen parking responsibilities transferred to the local council, but in others - such as Mid, East and West Lothian - the police are still in control. A withdrawal of their services would force authorities to up their spending on parking enforcement.

East Lothian Labour MSP Iain Gray is another to have aired his doubts over the issue, stating: "It would be a potential free-for-all with no parking for anyone unless they are there first thing in the morning."

Midlothian Council said it is currently engaged in talks with the police about the future of traffic wardens in the region.

Meanwhile, West Lothian Council is another body that has voted to oppose the possible withdrawal of traffic wardens from its streets. The authority even carried out a survey of community groups before deciding to campaign against the scheme.

The manufacturing industry in the UK is on an upward curve at the moment, largely thanks to a boom in the production of new cars in the country.

New figures from the Office for National Statistics show there was a 1.2 per cent hike in manufacturing output in September, which helped to reverse the 1.2 per cent decline witnessed in August.

Overall, the production of new vehicles contributed 0.4 percentage points to the increase, underlining its importance to the economy of the nation.

"Anecdotal evidence suggests that new car registrations, models and exports were identified as possible reasons to the growth in this industry," the ONS stated.

Mike Wright, executive director at Jaguar Land Rover, told the Daily Telegraph he believes the UK is now a more attractive place to do business thanks to the stronger communication that is now taking place between researchers, the industry and the government.

"There has been much progress in the UK over the last six or seven years to ensure the UK once again becomes a successful manufacturing nation. There has been much more co-operation between industry, the supply chain, academia and the state to support manufacturing, research and the skills we need to support future growth," he explained.

Should the rise in new car production continue, it could be good news for those in the UK who are hoping to secure automotive jobs in the future, as companies may be more inclined to take on extra staff.

The ONS went on to explain that car production also made a significant contribution to the 15.3 per cent increase in the manufacture of transport equipment that was recorded between September 2012 and the same month in 2013.

Citigroup added that the building of new cars in the third quarter of this year was very close to the pre-recession figures, indicating growth is finally returning to the sector and that it is set to remain strong for some time to come.

For all of the latest automotive news on jobs, contact Unity Recruitment, one of the leading automotive recruitment agencies in the UK.