Big drop in ticket sales at council car parks

TICKET sales at council-owned car parks across Nuneaton and Bedworth have dropped by almost a quarter in just four years.

Latest figures for that period show car park ticket sales have reduced by 24 per cent.

As ticket sales have dropped, inevitably the amount of money Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council reaps back in income has also fallen.

In 2014/15, the end of third quarter income stood at £1,529,964.

Fast forward four years and the end of third quarter income for 2017/18 was £1,409,150.

That is a drop of more than £12,000.

It also means there has been an eight per cent drop in income from sales over four years.

The exact number of sales and income raised from car parking tickets for the end of this financial year is not yet known.

But if the statistics for the last quarter of the year are anything to go by there is likely to be an annual loss.

The most recent figures were discussed by members of the council’s planning and environment overview and scrutiny panel.

The report prepared for the meeting also said there have been issues with reliable connections to parking machines since the council changed network provider.

Car parking charges have been a hot topic in the borough since the controversial decision was made, back in 2016, to increase the daytime charges, after one hour.

While opposing councillors vehemently objected to the decision, ruling Labour councillors said that the increase was needed to help pay towards CCTV which monitors the town centre car parks.

They also said that the drop in ticket sales was down to less people shopping in the town centres, opting to do it online instead.

Also, at the time, the council decided to scrap parking fees after 6pm, and stop charges at Bedworth Railway Station and at Meadow Street car park in Nuneaton