Councils accused of killing high streets as parking and fines cost drivers £2bn a year

DRIVERS are spending £2 billion a year on local council parking charges – the equivalent of £38 per day per motorist – according to expected figures.

Local authority parking charges are to rise again this month to help them raise revenue to tackle inflated costs and, in some areas, they are going up by as much as 60 per cent.

According to data from the Department for Levelling Up, motorists paid £1.93 billion in fees and fines in the year to April 2023, up from £1.76 billion the previous year.

Councils imposing steep rises have been accused of deterring tourists and footfall on high streets as well as squeezing small local businesses as shoppers decide it is easier and cheaper to buy online.

In Kirklees, the West Yorkshire council for Huddersfield, Holmfirth and Dewsbury said short-stay parking fees would increase from 70p an hour to £1.10 per hour this month.

Fees in Dewsbury and other areas of Kirklees would also go up from 5p to 50p per hour.

Long-stay parking across the borough as a whole would increase from £4 all day to £6.50 for the whole day.

In East Grinstead, in the south of England, parking charges are going up by almost 30 per cent while North Yorkshire council will be increasing its parking charges by 20 per cent from April 19.

In London, a public consultation process is currently under way to consider whether parking penalties should rise from £160 on roads managed by Transport for London and £130 on borough roads.

The Local Government Association, which represents councils in England and Wales, told The Sunday Times: “Income raised through parking charges is spent on running parking services.

“Any surplus is spent on essential transport projects, including fixing the £16 billion road repairs backlog, reducing congestion, tackling poor air quality and supporting local bus services.

“Motorists can avoid fines by ensuring they observe parking and traffic rules that are only there to help all drivers get around and find parking safely, smoothly and fairly,” it added.