Anger is understandably high over plans to introduce charges for residents' parking permits in Oxford. No one wants to pay for something they have thus far done at no charge.

Oxfordshire County Council has not helped matters with its hackneyed attempt at consulting the public. County councillors have had to retreat behind the barricades and will presumably be hoping that the furore will quickly die down.

It will not if Oxford city councillors have their way.

The prospect of a legal challenge to the county council is still very much alive.

It is a tempting thought for political opportunists - and who among our local politicians do not have an element of opportunism in their character? They spy a vote-winner and an opportunity to beat the county council. It is not very grown up but that is politics.

We have to ask the question what would a legal challenge achieve? The county council is entitled to introduce a charge for residents' parking. Many similar schemes are in operation across the country and, particularly, in Oxfordshire.

If the city council does mount a successful legal challenge, then it is more likely to be on the basis of a flawed consultation. That may force the county council to delay the scheme and reconsult, but does anyone really believe the result will be any different. However flawed the consultation, the county cabinet got a clear message that residents did not like the scheme. It was still agreed.

Ultimately, a legal challenge would cause bitterness between the two councils and cost the council taxpayer money.

The debate has thrown up some interesting arguments that the county council would do well to reflect on.

In particular, many in Oxford are upset that they are expected to pay for residents' parking in an effort to resolve a problem caused by those commuting in to the city from outside.

Straight after its election, the county cabinet introduced free parking in the evenings in Oxford. In the great scheme of things it has not had much impact on traffic in Oxford but, as a gesture, it does not sit easily alongside the decision to charge for residents' permits.

Furthermore, the ruling group on the county council has dismissed any thought of even considering a congestion charge for those coming into Oxford.

Meanwhile, this week it supported plans to transform the Westgate area. We have no argument with that, we support this scheme too.

It will, however, have a major impact on traffic in the city. The county council says that most of the extra traffic will come in by bus at peak times. There is an element of hope in this rather than science. There is no longer a trend of increasing bus use in Oxfordshire and something quite significant will need to happen to change that.

Simply building new park-and-rides on the outskirts of Abingdon, Witney and Bicester may not be the answer. If the buses get caught in increasing congestion, their advantage will be lost.

County councillors may have decisions to take that will make them feel far more uncomfortable than they did over residents' parking.