Parking charges set to hit towns and villages

Proposals under consideration include the removal of free parking on Saturdays, the introduction of an evening parking charge in Halifax and the conversion of some free car parks to pay and display.

A report to Calderdale Council’s Cabinet committee admits that the aim of the changes is to “generate additional revenue”. The report says a key consideration has been the potential impact on the economy and, to this end, free parking will be retained during the Christmas period.

The report says: “The estimated total annual net income that could be generated from the implementation of all the options identified and the parking charge increase on April 1 2011 is £900,300.”

However, this calculation is based on a number of assumptions and whether shoppers and workers will continue to use the council car parks.

One of the more contentious proposals involves the conversion of free car parks to pay and display car parks.

Fourteen of the 32 free car parks have been singled out for this change - three of them in Brighouse and three in Todmorden.

In Halifax, it is proposed that the Town Hall car park is restricted to use by councillors only from Monday to Friday but that an hourly charge of 70p is introduced. The car park will be available to the public on Saturdays at the same hourly charge.

Council officers have estimated that charging to park in the 14 car parks will bring in almost £200,000 a year - but the initial costs of implementing the proposal will around £194,000.

The car parks affected in Brighouse could be: Mill Lane, Bank Street and Church Lane. In Todmorden the changes are planned for Oxford Road, Dalton Street and Dale Street.

Other free parking is likely to come to an end in Wakefield Road, Hipperholme, Royd Lane at Ripponden and Burnley Road, Mytholmroyd.

Residents who currently have parking permits will also be hit in the pocket if the changes are brought in. The council is planning to charge residents £25 each for the processing of permits. There are currently 3,600 permits in circulation and it is estimated that the number of permits issued this year will increase to 4,200.

Charging residents will save the council around £80,000 a year.

The removal of free parking on Saturdays will raise about £13,000 a year.

The report notes: “It is not considered unreasonable to charge an administration fee for the issue of permits and a number of other councils have adopted this as policy. Permit zones are valuable to residents and are much sought after. It is considered that a fee to maintain this privilege could be acceptable to the majority of residents.”

Councillors have defended the plans.

Commenting of the parking income generation study, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Economy and Environment, Councillor Barry Collins, said the full range of options in the report would be considered.

“These proposals are designed to save almost £1m by 2014/15. It seems only fair that councillors and council departments should play their part.”

Members of the Cabinet will discuss the proposals at a meeting on Monday, August 6.

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