A PARKING consultation the council promised would be “gold-standard” has been branded “akin to wet cardboard” by angry campaigners.

Redbridge Council’s contentious plans to introduce pay and display parking in Wanstead High Street and permits in residential roads were originally due to be rolled out without consultation when they were announced in November.

But after a fierce campaign by residents and business owners, the council was forced to make a U-turn in January.

Speaking to the Guardian, council leader Cllr Jas Athwal promised the consultation would be “gold-standard”, and promised a public meeting of 350 people Wanstead and Snaresbrook “would not get a parking scheme if they didn’t want it”.

But as it comes to an end this week (May 5) activists claim the consultation period has been “six weeks of chaos”.

Bob Crabtree, of Overton Drive, and member of the WeWantSay action group, claims the decision to leave some roads south and west of Wanstead Station out of the permit zone was unfair.

He said: “Instead of a gold-standard, the consultation process turned out more akin to wet cardboard.

“The council pre-judged which roads would and wouldn’t be considered for parking changes.

“It ruled out roads where some residents do wish to see restrictions outside their homes, while a lot of other people have been lumbered with unwarranted parking changes.”

He also slammed the council for failing to deliver consultation packs to houses in multiple roads, only providing “shopper surveys” for people to pick up at Wanstead Library, before closing it all together three weeks before the end of the consultation.

Members of the Counties Residents’ Association, which covers around 400 Wanstead households, had to demand consultation packs from the council.

Malcolm Dowers, who has lived in Leicester Road for 12 years, said: “The questionnaires were flagrantly biased towards there being a parking problem already.

“It was almost laughable in some parts.

“There was no box to tick to say ‘everything is fine as it is, we don’t want any parking restrictions’.

“We’re hoping the council will do what it said it would and actually listen to the 4,000 people this affects, not just play lip service to the consultation process.”

But Mr Dowers says some sceptical residents are hoping the scheme will get delayed until after the council elections in May 2018, on the chance a new administration scraps the scheme.

Donna Mizzi, who collected thousands of signatures for a petition against the scheme has demanded the consultation be extended after the council’s leaflet delivery blunder.

But Redbridge Council defended the process and maintained the consultation is made up “proposals for consideration not final plans”.

A spokesman said: “The consultation documents allowed for residents and businesses to tell us what they would like see happen in relation to parking in their area.

“We believe there is ample opportunity within the questionnaire for residents to express a view, if it is their opinion, that they do not feel there is a problem and do not want parking controls.”