Decision details

To provide an update on a number of matters pertaining to parking, including summary of the impacts on car park usage following the implementation of Civil Parking Enforcement.

To confirm the approach to be taken in respect of the implementation of agreed parking increases within the 25/26 MTFS - a 20p increase except for the all day tariff. The report seeks confirmation and delegation to implement the agreed increase, or seek confirmation via Council of the agreement to a Budget Policy variation to remove the planned increase or proceed with an alternative scheme.

The Cabinet has noted the agreed MTFS baseline position in relation to parking charges and in particular the 20p increase, along with the other financial information included in the report.

The Cabinet has recommended to Council: 

i.  to note that Cabinet agreed that the 20p increase as set out in the revenue budget should not be implemented in 2025/26. The detail of the charges will be considered and agreed in 2026/27 and will be considered against an updated Car Parking Strategy; and 

ii.  to delegate authority to the Corporate Director (Finance and Resources) and Section 151 Officer in consultation with the Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources to make necessary changes to the Council’s finances, including movements from Reserves, to ensure that a balanced revenue budget position for 2025/26 is maintained. 

To provide an update on a number of matters pertaining to parking, including summary of the impacts on car park usage following the implementation of Civil Parking Enforcement.

Option A: Do Nothing.

As outlined in the report.

Option B: Progress a charge increase as budget and MTFS.

As outlined in the report.

Option C: Do not progress any charge increase.

As outlined in the report.

Option D: Progress an alternate charge increase (2025/26).

As outlined in the report.

Option E: Defer and progress an alternate charge increase.

As outlined in the report.

Deviation from the current charges agreed will impact the income received by the Council in relation to parking charges. The Council approved a balanced budget and MTFS which set a dependency on a level of income received and associated with an increase to parking charges.

Failure to implement Option A would be a deviation from the Council’s existing Medium-Term Financial Strategy which received full Council approval in February 2025. This decision would immediately create an in-year shortfall of £136,000 and a recurring annual deficit of £270,000, equating to over £1 million across the MTFS period.

It is highly unlikely that such a gap could be absorbed without needing to utilise reserves, undermine financial resilience, or consider service delivery. This would effectively cause other community priorities to have to reconsidered to subsidise parking. These are ultimately choices for Members to make, balancing up the need for financial sustainability, with other priorities. This could include money from reserves, stopping or reducing services, or reallocating money from other objectives such as the Community Health and Wealth Building Strategy (CHAWS) fund – thus resulting in less money being available for those objectives.

Parking charges have not increased since the change implemented in 2019 and remain below inflationary levels; in this time, costs have increased (for example business rates, utilities, and staffing costs); rejecting this modest increase would not be financially prudent. If not increased, over time the gap between the charges and the costs will continue to widen, and the shortfall in income cannot be recovered.

The Council has a legal commitment to maintain a balanced budget.

The implementation of charges other than those set out in the ‘Fees and Charges schedule for 2025/26’ will require a formal decision to agree and establish prior to the service related implementation process of charges which includes the Notice of Variation and other activities set out in 6.2.