Interactive map exhibits the place cash-guzzling councils will improve parking expenses by as much as 300 per cent for tens of millions of residents already going through council tax hikes
Millions of motorists face ‘stealth taxes’ in the form of higher parking charges as councils seek to make up budget shortfalls.
A Mail audit has found at least 20 councils plan to increase parking costs in their car parks and street bays by up to 294 per cent.
Most local authorities in England are already planning to hike council tax by the maximum 4.99 per cent allowed – with six permitted to go above the limit.
Council leaders claim the rises are needed to balance the books but critics say businesses and households will be harmed. All 21 councils contacted by the Mail are run by Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party or have no overall control.
In Liverpool – with almost 500,000 residents – council leaders have claimed a 60 per cent increase in on-street car parking from next month will help it play ‘catch up’ with other cities. It means a four-hour stay in a city centre bay will rise from £6 to £9.60.
Fees at multi-storey car parks will rise by 40 per cent, and off-street parking will go up by almost 50 per cent.
The council in Cardiff, the largest city in Wales, is proposing to increase the cost of residential parking permits from £30 to £35 for the first permit and from £80 to £120 for the second permit.
A spokesman said the authority has been forced to take ‘difficult decisions’ and it wants to ‘encourage people to become less reliant on their private car’.
A map detailing what authorities are raising their parking fees and by how much also
A Mail audit has found at least 20 councils plan to increase parking costs in their car parks and street bays by up to 294 per cent
All 21 councils contacted by the Mail are run by Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party or have no overall control
Conservative minister Ben Spencer said: ‘Our councils should be looking to support residents and boost growth, not add further stealth taxes on top of council tax increases.’
And Benjamin Elks, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, added: ‘Taxpayers will be outraged at yet another way councils are squeezing their wallets.
‘Instead of relentlessly taxing motorists to cover budget shortfalls, town hall bosses should be cutting waste and prioritising frontline services.’
Drivers in Bristol will have to pay to park for the first time in ten suburban car parks.
Smaller councils have also imposed charges. In Horsham, prices are set to be hiked by 294 per cent – an increase of at least £2.20 – at 12 car parks as the council seeks to raise £134,000.
In Runnymede, Norwich, East Herts, Melton and Guildford, fees will increase by 10p an hour.
East Sussex residents and visitors face paying anything from 70p to £2.70 an hour more for parking as the council looks to improve ‘air quality’ in the area.
In some areas, residents used to parking for free in hotspots now face paying. St Albans City and District Council, which claims to be at risk of bankruptcy, hopes to earn £185,000 annually by introducing charges of £2.50 per hour on the popular high street of Harpenden.
A government spokesperson has obfuscated blame for the hiking of parking fees by saying that is solely up to local councils to decide on pricing
Rises will affect London too. In Lewisham, south-east London, there are plans to introduce parking permits costing up to £750 and roll out new controlled parking zones.
In Barnet, the council will set a standard minimum price of £3.50 for one hour of parking, rising from the previous £3.12.
Howard Cox, founder of driver campaign group FairFuelUK, said parking cost rises ‘further devastate’ high streets, adding: ‘They should slash rip-off parking prices and seek to save cash by dumping their costly pointless vanity projects.’
A Government spokesman said: ‘Local authorities set their own parking tariffs, and our guidance states charges should be reasonable and balance the needs of residents, local businesses, and others coming into the area.’
