A number of campaigners in Portsmouth believe the government's recent plans for parking regulations will be good news for the city.

Local government secretary Eric Pickles recently said he wants all funds generated from parking enforcement notices to go towards helping high streets and local motorists. He is also calling for a ban on CCTV, so that only parking attendants are relied upon to catch those who leave their cars illegally.

Councils in Portsmouth, Havant, Fareham and Gosport told The News they do not use CCTV in any case, but this is not to say Portsmouth will not benefit from government intervention on the issue of parking.

John Perry helped to gather in excess of 4,000 signatures on a petition designed to persuade councillors in Hayling Island to go back on plans to increase parking charges.

"The council needs to listen to the voters and listen to what they are being told by central government. Residents should not have to pay extortionate car parking charges just to pop to the shops," he explained.

Mr Pickles believes councils are making money from parking fines and charges - and this is something that is prohibited by law. He plans to put a stop to unfair rules on the issue of parking and force local authorities to take a more measured approach to parking regulations and charges.

Should councils across the UK be forced to generate funds from parking in a fairer manner, some may decide to employ more parking attendants in a bid to identify those who leave their vehicles in places they should not, rather than rely on tools such as CCTV.

A report by the RAC Foundation found Portsmouth City Council made a £1.98 million surplus on its parking operations in 2011-12.

Regulatory changes by the government over the coming months could force local authorities to rethink their strategy when it comes to parking and find fairer ways to generate revenue to fund improvements.

Stay up to date with all traffic and parking jobs with Unity Recruitment.