After a five-year freeze on car park tariffs the council will be introducing new charges in October 2022.
Q. What will the proposed charges be?
Q. Why are the council changing the car park tariffs?
Over the years a complicated pricing structure led to individual tariffs, with some car parks catering for short stays and others for those wanting to stay for longer. This saw some nearby car parks operating different pricing structures. The council wanted to consolidate these tariffs and simplify the structure.
The council is now also facing significant financial challenges which means vital services will be heavily impacted if we don’t increase income.
Q. When will the new parking charges start?
The new prices will come into effect on Thursday 27 October 2022
Q. What car parks are affected?
All city council owned car parks will see changes.
Q. What will the additional revenue be spent on?
All the income we generate helps us to fund our vital services to support communities, residents and businesses.
The additional income raised will also allow us to invest in our car parks through the provision of better facilities, such as an increase in EV charging points.
Q. I have a blue badge. How am I affected by the new charging system?
You will receive a discount on your stay – this remains the same as before at 50% the standard tariff for the length of stay.
All city council owned car parks have blue badge holder spaces – please display your blue badge at all times.
Q. Why have prices changed more in some car parks than others?
Charges in our surface (pay and display) car parks have been amended several times over the years. It’s now been decided that there should be three levels of charging. Level 1 charges apply in the car parks away from the busiest areas, Level 2 in those closer to the city centre and Level 3 in the heart of the city centre.
This has the advantage that people can now purchase season tickets that will apply across a range of car parks and season tickets will always offer a discount on daily parking when used regularly.
Q. I already have a season ticket for one of the council car parks, how will the new parking charges affect me?
If you are an existing season ticket holder for one of our car parks the price increases will not impact you until you choose to renew your season ticket.
If you park regularly in the city council car parks, season tickets offer a cost-effective way to park in the city. The council offers three, six and 12-monthly season tickets for purchase at all our car parks. Visit the season ticket page on the website for charges and how to apply.
Q. I regularly park in the city, but not often enough for a season ticket to be cost effective, is there anything you can offer me?
Currently we are only offering season tickets that operate on fixed days. However, it is something that we will be considering for the future, offering people the opportunity to pay for a set number of visits rather than fixed days.
Q. Won’t the changes affect businesses and people visiting the city centre?
The new pricing structure should encourage a more regular turnover of spaces, making it easier for people to find one when they need it. In turn, we hope this will mean more people will visit our city centre as it will be easier to park.
It should also help to reduce air pollution as motorists won’t need to drive around looking for a space.
Q. Why are you no longer offering contract parking?
Contract parking reserves a particular space for an individual and means it cannot be used by anyone else. This is not an efficient use of car park spaces and in the case of multi-storey car parks, if the car park is full then people are unable to access their contract space. For this reason, we believe season tickets are more effective.
Q. Do you offer a discount for key workers, charities and not for profit organisations?
The city council operates its car parks on a commercial basis and does not offer any discounts on day rates to any individuals or organisations. Season tickets are available for those who park regularly
Q. I would use the surface car parks as they are cheaper, but it’s hard to find enough change.
All city council off-street car parks now have a contactless payment option.
