MOTORISTS could see the first increase in car parking charges in Worcester in 14 years under plans to be considered by city councillors.
Prices at the 14 car parks operated by Worcester City Council have not gone up since 2009, and the Environment Committee is to be asked to support new prices which will still be below the rates charged in privately-run car parks and similar-sized cities.
Income from car parks forms a major part of the funding that the City Council uses to deliver essential services like waste and recycling collections, street cleansing, and housing support and advice.
A report for Tuesday’s (January 24) claims rising costs make it essential for charges to be raised in order to ensure the council can set a balanced budget.
Running costs of the car parks have grown since 2009 and the price of other goods and services in the UK has risen by 46 per cent in that time, according to the report.
The report proposes that the price of a two-hour stay at the Council’s three red zone car parks (Copenhagen St, Cornmarket and Providence St) changes from £2.40 to £3.
At the six amber zone car parks (Cattlemarket, King St, Newport St, St Martin’s Gate, Clare St and Commandery Rd) parking up to two hours would increase from £1.80 to £2. Parking for 24 hours at St Martin’s Gate multi-storey car park would cost £4, compared to the current £3.60.
In the green zone car parks (Pitchcroft, The Moors, Tallow Hill, Tybridge St and Croft Rd), the two-hour parking fee would move from £1.20 to £1.50.
Coun Karen Lewing, vice chair of the Environment Committee, said: “The City Council is being affected by huge increases in the costs of maintaining our services and if we do not want to see cuts in services we need to look at ways of balancing our books.
“Car parking charges are a very significant source of income for the Council and they have not increased in 14 years, during which time we have seen big rises in bus and train fares.
“These small increases will also simplify the charging structure. We will ensure the City Council’s car parks continue to be competitively priced and, where possible, still cheaper than private car parks within Worcester and those in comparable towns and cities.”
If the Environment Committee supports the proposals, the matter will be referred to the Income Management Sub-Committee and the Policy and Resources Committee, before being included in the 2023-24 budget recommendations to council on February 21.
