Councillors have finally accepted the need for a compromise over traders' Parking permits in Brighton and Hove and have agreed to hold talks with Traders Against Parking Persecution but will they listen to the genuine problems?

Simon Battle consistently repeats "the residents must come first". Has he asked himself why traders want to park in restricted areas? It is because we are working for those residents and need to park as close to their home as possible. The closer we are, the quicker the job is finished so the less time we spend in a restricted area.

We are always accused of not wanting to pay for waivers - not true. The cost is higher than anywhere else bar London but this is not the sole problem. To get a waiver, we have to go to one of the offices - so badly sited vans often have to park illegally to collect from them - and can then be refused because the plan is so poorly designed. An hour can be lost on this waste of time. Who pays for it? The city ends up with more pollution, higher prices and overworked tradesmen. Who wins? Nobody.

Traders want to be able to work with the minimum of inconvenience and cost so we can offer residents the best service possible. Is that not what Brighton and Hove City Council should want for its voters too?

-P McMullen, Westbourne Place, Hove