Following information obtained from the Fair Telecoms Campaign, it has been revealed that Labour-run Reading Borough Council is one of the last local authorities in the country to still use a premium rate number for services, which can cost Reading residents over £1 a minute to use.

Parking fines are one of the largest cash cows for our local Council, and yet they reap even more rewards by using a premium rate telephone number as the contact number for those who have been issued Penalty Charge Notices to find out more information or to appeal the fine.

Local Liberal Democrat campaigner, James Moore said: “For the local Council to still use a premium rate number is greedy and foolish. It can cost mobile users in particular a fortune to call. I’m calling on them to change this number to a standard rate number so residents can contact them in a fair way about their parking fine.”

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