As car parking spaces are rarer than hens teeth, I know this subject causes passion, either from those who have a space and those who haven’t.

I thought I would add a little oil to the relative calm waters.

Since the department changed how parking spaces are allocated to staff, on a six monthly "lucky" draw I have never seen so many parking spaces not being used on a regular basis.

From the spaces that are regularly not used by the lucky recipient or even lent to a buddy, these car parking spaces are empty most of the time.

It is not only this last six months that there are a lot of empty car parking spaces every day but it has been happening since the start of the raffle system.

I think if the department in Southend continue to use this system they need to ensure that people that are allocated spaces use them on a regular basis or they lose them. Over the Christmas and Easter periods the checking up of the use of spaces should be suspended.

If checking that people are using their space on a regular basis cannot be done then some other system of allocating the car parking spaces should be considered.

I feel that as a car parking space is a huge benefit and not a right I think people that have a space should treat it as a privilege by using it on a regular basis.

I just wish to say that these opinions are mine and may not be necessary the views of the BEC.

If you want to reply to these thoughts, please start a new thread on the discussion forum.