Earley Town Council’s leader has called for Reading Borough Council (RBC) to reduce its street car parking fees on a road bordering two councils.

Conservative councillor Norman Jorgensen said RBC’s introduction of parking meters on Pepper Lane, near the University of Reading, has increased parking in Wokingham Borough Council (WBC).

The council introduced the £10 a day charge in 2017, whereas WBC does not charge anything on neighbouring streets.

Cllr Jorgensen, who is also a Hillside ward councillor for WBC, said: “Since RBC installed parking meters on their section of Pepper Lane beside the University residents of Harcourt Drive, Falstaff Avenue and roads off have suffered from increased parking making it difficult to negotiate into and out of these residential roads.

“I was in Falstaff Avenue and Harcourt Drive on Monday and noted there were around 40 cars and vans parked on the streets. Most of these were not residents.

“The tariff on the parking meters is £10 a day so now people park instead for nothing in Wokingham Borough residential streets.

“The metered spaces are more often than not empty so RBC is collecting very little income."

Cllr Jorgensen said he has written to RBC’s chief executive requesting that the tariff is reduced to a level where the metered bays ‘are used’.

This would have the ‘double benefit’ of increased income for the council and less parking outside the houses of Earley residents, according to the councillor.

RBC Redlands ward and Labour councillor Tony Jones declared his support for a reduction in pay and display charges.

He said: “I have asked RBC to do just that. There is no need for pay & display charges to be the same as the town centre.”

Councillor Tony Page, lead member for Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport, said: “We have not had any representations from the Wokingham side and I suppose that councillor Jorgensen is a candidate and has suddenly discovered his ward goes up to the boundary.

“In common with all areas where we have recently introduced pay and display, we will be reviewing charges.

“I am told by officers that income is increasing on that stretch. Pepper Lane has the highest payment rate made by phone un the borough.

“We would consider a slightly cheaper tariff for people who pay by phone." He added: "We have residents parking permits and WBC do not.

“It is clearly election time. He is scrabbling around for anything to try to get some publicity.”

Cllr Jorgensen added: “Residents have complained about parking near the junctions making it difficult to see what is coming.

“WBC is therefore shortly going to consult residents about placing yellow lines near the junctions.”