Council leader slams decision to raise parking charges

The leader of the city council has hit out at a decision to raise car parking charges for the first time in 14 years.

Worcester City Council intends to up the fees at more than a dozen of its car parks to bring in more money to help fill a hole of at least £776,000 in its budget, but the authority’s leader has slammed the decision saying “the timing isn’t right.”

Cllr Chris Mitchell, leader of Worcester City Council, said it was wrong to raise parking charges – which have not changed since 2009 – during a cost-of-living crisis and especially after last year’s card payment cock-up which saw thousands of drivers needlessly charged several times for parking in the city.

“It simply isn’t the right time to raise parking charges and put even more burden on the people of Worcester,” he said.

“Someone who previously popped into the High Street to pick something up and paid for 30 mins parking will see an increase of 250 per cent and now be paying £1.50 to park.

The leader, who said the council should instead raid its reserves to cover the cost rather than putting prices up, said he would struggle to stand on doorsteps and tell people that car parking fees were going up after the “mess” with card payments and overcharging.

Cllr Mitchell, and his fellow Tories, voted against the planned rise at a meeting of the city council’s environment committee in the Guildhall on Tuesday (January 24) while the move was supported by the committee’s Green and Labour councillors.

“It’s all about timing as my golf coach often tells me,” the council leader said.

“There is enough burden on residents already.”

Cllr Marjory Bissett, leader of the council’s Greens, said many who used public transport had seen prices rocket since 2009 while car parking charges stayed the same and backed the increase.

Under the council’s proposals, the price of a two-hour stay at the city’s Copenhagen Street, Cornmarket and Providence Street car parks would change from £2.40 to £3.

The same stay at the Cattlemarket, King Street, Newport Street, St Martin’s Gate, Clare Street and Commandery Road car parks would rise from £1.80 to £2.

Two-hour stays at Pitchcroft, The Moors, Tallow Hill, Tybridge Street and Croft Road car parks would move from £1.20 to £1.50.

Half-hour charges would be scrapped and £1 fees for parking between 7pm and 9pm would also be ditched for hourly rates.

At the meeting, Tory councillor Owen Cleary said: “Times are pretty tough and I don’t think it’s the right time to be putting up car parking charges now. We’re not that far removed from the car parking machines fiasco last year and this may smack as a little bit unfair, putting prices up after all the drama of last year.”

Council bosses said the money it brings in from car parking charges – which is its single biggest source of income generating around £3 million a year – needs to rise to keep pace with costs.

Lloyd Griffiths, the council’s director of operations, said there was “no sign of costs letting up” and the council might need to look at reviewing car parking fees further in the future.

The plan will now go to the council’s income generation subcommittee on February 1 before it is discussed at full council on February 21 as part of next year’s budget-setting process.