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Kent’s councils’ finances are tighter than ever, and in their most recent budgets, many have included parking fees to raise much-needed funds.
But while some have increased rates to £3. 70 an hour, other governments are taking the opposite approach, as reported via Dan Esson and Chloe Selvester. . .
“Most of the time, if I meet friends who are from Ashford or Maidstone, I’ll probably pass them on,” says Paul Lang, a 40-year-old asset manager from Canterbury.
“Everyone is concerned about the costs, because parking here is very expensive and for them it’s a real challenge. “
He’s speaking to KentOnline at the Watling Street municipal car park in Canterbury, where the new £3. 70 per hour rates are the most expensive in Kent.
Only Mr. Lang’s friends have been discouraged by the more important allegations.
Kate Bohacz, a 42-year-old PhD researcher, says: “I try to come to the city centre at all costs.
“I think the hourly rate is ridiculous, but there are so many other options. People simply don’t have a choice because the number of parking spaces is so limited.
Meanwhile, Emma Dunster-Price, a riding coach, said: “It’s expensive, that’s why I only come to Canterbury once in a while. “
City council leaders have already insisted they still have “no choice” when it comes to fees.
The local authority owes £150 million to any district council in Kent.
Council leader Cllr Alan Baldock (Lab) told a meeting earlier this year: “We raise around £11 or £12 million through car parking [annually], and it’s costing us about the same amount of cash to pay off debt as it does to have out there.
The local authority is focusing on the most waterfront access points as well as the city centre, and fares in parts of Whitstable are now within the ‘Band One’ classification and from £1. 60 to £3. 70.
Opposition leader Cllr Rachel Carnac (Con) described the move as “a benefit to the other people on our coast. “
Council Transport Cabinet member Cllr Alex Ricketts (Lib Dem) told KentOnline this week: “The most expensive car parks are in the most congested spaces and we hope the bands will inspire citizens to choose lesser-used car parks and reduce traffic in busy spaces. “while potentially saving money.
Counting the Cost of Coastal Parking
Kent’s east coast is attracting more and more people, and day-trippers in some spaces face an advantage when it comes to parking.
Ramsgate is home to the county’s largest municipal car park.
Previously, the Pier Yard and Military Road sites, either in the city’s Royal Harbour, charged £3. 30 for a maximum of an hour from April to September, and £1. 60 the rest of the year.
However, to raise an additional £118,000 in the 2024/25 financial year, the Labour cabinet of Thanet District Council (TDC) voted to increase the payment to £3. 60 from April to September and to £1. 80 in the other months.
A TDC spokesperson said: “Increases in safe fees and fees have been set at 5%, adding maximum car parking at district sites. The increase in the price lists for other services, adding those provided in the port and the roadstead, remained at 8%.
Folkestone’s waterfront is a magnet for tourists.
The Lower Sandgate Road West car park, which runs from Radnor Cliff to the famous Lower Leas coastal playground, now costs £3. 60 per hour from April to the end of September, or 30p.
A spokesperson for the green council says this is because the summer months are “extremely busy”, leading to a significant increase in traffic along the route.
They added: “Seasonal construction is helping to manage requests and actively encourages motorists to use other nearby car parks, all of which are much cheaper. This is just one of the tactics with which we are addressing congestion issues on behalf of residents.
“Maintaining the much-loved Lower Leas Waterfront Park to the highest standards that citizens and visitors expect is costly – paying for the Lower Sandgate Road West parking lot for such work. “
However, Kent is the most expensive place to park on the coast. In Brighton, drivers have to pay even more. At the city’s North Road car park, a two-hour stay will cost you £12.
‘Common Sense Tips’ with Kent Car Parks
At the bottom of the scale is Dartford.
The Conservative-run district is home to the county’s car parks, with a flat fee of £1 for stays of up to two hours.
While the fee hike deters visitors to Canterbury, council officials say they are keeping fees low to attract more people.
A spokesperson for Dartford City Council said: “We are a common-sense council that manages finances well, which means we don’t see parking as just a target to generate revenue.
“Instead, we set price lists for local businesses and inspire more consumers.
“We know councils charge a lot more, but we think charging just £1 for up to two hours of parking was the right thing to do.
“We review our rates from time to time, but we have no plans to increase parking rates in the immediate future. “
There has been no change to Dartford’s short pay this year, but more than four hours will now charge £5. 50, up from £5, and subscriptions will charge £69 per month, up from £60.
However, drivers traveling to Dartford should be careful. KentOnline has previously revealed that more parking tickets were issued on the city’s Market Street than anywhere else in the county.
Other forums also keep the fees low.
In Ashford, led by a coalition of independents and greens, maximum parking rates have risen by 10p to £1. 30 an hour. Meanwhile, Maidstone City Council is keeping rates unchanged for 2024/25, with rates at £1. 35 per hour.
The strength of others can make all the difference.
Some local governments in Kent have tried to increase the cost of parking, but have backed down in the face of strong reactions from residents.
Swale’s coalition of Labour, Greens, Independents and Liberal Democrats in Swale City Council intended to introduce fees at three Sheppey car parks that are currently free: Little Oyster, Queenborough Library and Park Road.
But those bills were rejected in an assembly on March 6, amid cheers and applause from the public gallery.
However, increases were approved at Sheppey, as well as Faversham and Sittingbourne. From April, a one-hour stay in the borough’s bays between 7:00 and 22:00 costs £1. 40, up from £1. 30.
On 2 April, the Tonbridge
However, after thousands of citizens voiced their opposition to the conservative-independent coalition’s proposals, the authority replaced its plans at a cabinet meeting on April 30.
They claim that the first 30 minutes of parking would be free every day of the week, in the municipality’s six short-stay car parks.
Several Tonbridge parks, such as Lower Castle Field, Angel East and Angel West, cost £1. 40 per hour.
In January, the Labour-led Dover District Council (DDC) also backtracked on its plan to start charging £1. 80 an hour on four free car parks in St Margaret’s Bay, following a backlash.
Proposals to start charging at two other free car parks – Borrow Pit near Walmer Castle and Victoria Park in Deal – have also been scrapped.
In the borough of Dover, the price of car parks has risen to 20p, with the cheapest now costing £1. 50 and the others £1. 80.
What about the rest?
Across the Tunbridge Wells area, the city council (now overwhelmingly Liberal Democrats but a coalition led by Liberal Democrats when the budget was set) keeps maximum parking rates unchanged. It has also provided discounted subscriptions to the Royal Victoria Place car park since the acquisition of the grocery shopping center.
At the more expensive car parks on the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC), such as those at Town Hall Yard and Crescent Road, prices remain at £2 for a one-hour stay.
Across all of Medway’s municipal car parks, the most expensive now charge £1. 80 per hour, up 50% from £1. 20.
Retailers say footfall to the Rainham Mall has declined since the surge.
The cash-strapped leadership of the Medway Council hopes to move to an additional £1 million over the next 12 months.
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