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Lancaster City Council issue statement ahead of changes to evening parking charges

Friday, 6 May 2022 16:03

An evening charge of £4 to park between 6pm-8am will come into force this evening across Lancaster City Council operated carparks.

Ahead of the changes, the authority has issued a statement, explaining more about their reasoning behind the increases:

There has been much discussion recently on the city council's decisions around car parking fees.

In reply, I thought it might be helpful to clarify the very tricky balancing act that the council is faced with and the implications for our services that reducing them would have. Over the last 12 years the money the city council receives from the government to run its services has significantly reduced by over 40% while at the same time costs have increased, not least due to inflation.

The council is limited in the amount of money it can raise from council tax - its main source of income - without having to resort to a costly referendum and this year the annual increase was £5, far below the current inflation rate.

By next financial year 2023/24 the council will need to save approximately £2.165M, rising to nearly £4million by 2025/26. If we are to balance the books, while still funding the vital services on which our communities rely, this means raising more income

While there are certain services, such as collecting waste and recycling, which we must provide by law, there are others which are entirely voluntary. We provide these services because we know that they are valued by the general public because they enable us to 'live' rather than just survive.

For example we fund our parks, help our theatres and venues and make sure organisations like Samaritans, Citizens Advice and CVS are able to survive more easily. None of these are legal requirements by the council and they all have to be paid for by efficient working and raising our own income.

And while the council may not always be directly responsible for their organisation, it is also a strong supporter of many of the events and festivals that take place across the district. These all contribute to an increase in visitors and people spending money at local businesses and without our support some may not happen at all, or at a reduced level.

There had been no changes to parking tariffs for four years and the question is whether people are prepared to pay a little more for parking now or would they prefer the council stops spending on these discretionary services and the benefits that they bring?

We are, of course, acutely aware that there are a range of views and the introduction of any new charges will always need to be finely balanced.

That's why, following stakeholder feedback, the tariffs were amended to better support the night-time economy and cultural sector:

We all want our town and city centres to be lively and thriving and we are keeping the impact of the parking charges under close review.

Councillor Gina Dowding Cabinet member for planning and place Lancaster City Council

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