Peterborough parking prices set for big increase to raise council cash

Parking attendant in Peterborough City Centre issuing parking tickets ENGNNL00120130514115100

Peterborough City Council hope to raise more than £300,000 by increasing the cost of car parks and residential permits. The price hike will be introduced on March 30.

The changes will see all tariffs increase by 50p at Car Haven, Riverside, Wellington Street, Bishop’s Road, Trinity Street, Fletton Quays multi-storey and Railway Sidings.

The demolition of the council owned Northminster Car Park is taking place due to safety concerns.

In addition, the fees for resident and visitor permits will increase. The price of a six month permit will rise from £20 to £25 and a 12 month permit will rise from £30 to £40. Daily visitor permit books of 10 will rise from £12 to £20.

Money raised from the increased permits - which is estimated to be £107,532, has to be spent on parking services by law. The £202,854 per year raised by increasing car park charges will be put in the council’s overall budget, as the authority seeks to balance the books.

Peterborough city Cllr Ed Murphy, Peterborough Labour representative on the combined authority, said the rise would hit residents hard. He said: “It is the latest squeeze on people shopping, working and living in Peterborough. I think people will avoid the city as it is another cost, and there is no other alternative. The city will just be even emptier than before.”

But Councillor Marco Cereste, cabinet member for waste, street scene and the environment for Peterborough City Council, said: “Any increases in charges for services we provide is never taken lightly, and we are aware that some residents and retailers may have some concerns.

“However, even with this increase our parking charges are still very competitive when compared to other cities in our region such as Cambridge and Norwich.

“Some of the money that we will generate from this will go towards recruiting additional parking enforcement officers so that we can crack down on illegal parking across the city, in particular people misusing resident parking bays.”