Council defends parking fees rise

Fees are expected to cost as much as £1 an hour from April as Calderdale attempts to increase revenue this year by £453,000 to try to offset budget cuts. In future years, councillors hope to raise an additional £603,000.

Council leaders have agreed that all on and off-street charges should rise by at least 10p an hour.

But on-street parking in Halifax and Hebden Bridge will go up by 20p – meaning £1 to park in Halifax town centre and 50p to park further out.

However, parking in Leeds City Centre, for example, can cost as much as £5 for as little as two to three hours. The high cost led Leeds Liberal Democrat leader Stewart Golton to say last year that slashing parking charges would boost trade and increase visitor numbers. He was backed by Conservative group leader Andrew Carter who warned there was a danger that people were starting to stay away.

Tony Murray, general manager of Harveys department store in Halifax which celebrates its 60th anniversary next month, said the increase was detrimental when business were already facing tough times.

Jennifer Pell, owner of booksellers Fred Wade, in Rawson Street, said customers grumbled about parking and the rise would make matters worse.

The last increase in Halifax central on-street charges was in August 2004.

A 30p charge on outer streets was introduced in July 2006. In Hebden Bridge, the cost of on-street parking will double from 20p an hour to 40p but it will remain free for the first hour.

The charge was originally introduced in September 2005 and has remained the same until now.

Calderdale councillor Barry Collins said that if charges had risen in line with inflation, motorists would be paying even more.