On 25 January, the highways and transport committee will consider proposals for parking in the borough which seek to provide fair and consistent arrangements and respond to the significantly increasing costs of operating and maintaining car parks.
Proposals include:
• Reducing parking charges in some car parks due to their location & usage
• Introducing parking charges in most car parks where parking is currently free
• Increasing standard parking tariffs by rate of inflation – this would be the first increase since 2018
As a result of feedback during the public consultation on parking arrangements, we are proposing:
• To keep our ‘free after 3pm’ initiative and extend this to specified car parks in towns where the introduction of charges is proposed;
• To retain free parking at a number of smaller car parks where it is not value for money to introduce pay and display; and
• To withdraw plans to reduce the time limits at on-street parking bays.
Councillor Craig Browne, deputy leader and chair of highways and transport committee, said: “We know that residents and businesses in some areas are very concerned about the impact on their local high street of any changes to parking.
“While parking charges are just one potential factor affecting consumer decisions and habits, we have listened and looked again at our proposals, and have been able to put forward some key changes.
“But this council – like many other local councils across the country – is facing increasing financial pressure. This is as a result of factors including construction inflation, high interest rates and costs incurred in petitioning against HS2 to secure the best possible outcomes for communities across the borough.
“All car parks – whether they’re free to use or not – need maintenance, management, and enforcement and the costs relating to these services have significantly increased and continue to rise.
“The costs associated with the ‘free’ car parks alone are around £400,000 per year.
“Not making difficult decisions, such as increasing parking charges, means the pressure on the council’s finances worsens even further. The result would be a reduction in other services that fall under the highways and transport committee, for example roads maintenance or bus subsidies.”
See the comments to read more about the report to committee.
