Parking charges go up again, but parking income falls

Subject: News Release: Parking charges to increase by 5%, but parking income falls
Importance: High

News from Labour

London Borough of Barnet Labour Group

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For immediate release

Thursday 8 December 2011

Parking charges go up again, but parking income falls

Parking charges are set to increase again by 5% according to a Cabinet Resources report published this week.

But Labour councillors are questioning the logic of year-on-year parking charge increases after recent figures released by the council show income from parking is lower than expected due to a “challenging environment”, with a loss of £418k to predicted parking income.

A 5% increase in parking charges would mean:

• 1^st parking permit increases to £105 per year
• 2^nd parking permit increases to £131.25 per year
• 3^rd parking permit increases to £157.50 per year
• A book of visitors parking permits increases to £50.40 per 10 vouchers
• One hour parking voucher (card of four) would be £8.40
• Half hour parking voucher (card of four) would be £4.20

The parking permit increases published in the Cabinet Resources fees and charges report only lists the prices for purchasing permits online which have been frozen, but the comments in the schedule reveal that “most permit prices are being increased by 5% to reflect inflation but the price of those purchased online is being held to encourage residents to take up this option”.

Labour’s Environment Spokesperson, Cllr Kath McGuirk, said:

"Parking in Barnet is now so expensive people are boycotting our town centres – this is clear from the fact that income from parking is lower than the council predicted, and shows that the increase in parking charges has resulted in less income not more. The Barnet Tories may well put this down to “a challenging environment”, but what they won’t address is how increasing parking charges is creating “a challenging environment” for our hard-pressed residents and struggling traders - they are just not on the side of ordinary people.

It is also incredible that they are hiking up the town centre parking voucher by 5% already when they were only launched last week – it costs less to park outside Harrods then to park in North Finchley!

And the decision to only publish the freeze in permits purchased online, while the small print shows most permits will increase by 5% is frankly cynical."

Since this press release it appears that the question of parking charge increases is under review.

Yours appaelaingly

Miss Feezance