Somerset Conservatives say the Liberal Democrat administration has backed down under pressure from residents over its parking proposals, but is still pressing ahead with higher charges.
The revised plan would raise existing parking charges by 10 per cent from January 2027. Larger changes to tariffs and new Sunday charges at car parks where Sundays are currently free would follow in autumn 2027, after the May council elections. Charges at currently free car parks also remain under consideration.
The Conservative Group submitted its Stop the Parking Hike petition to the council this week with 4,177 signatures.
Conservative Group Leader Cllr Diogo Rodrigues said:
“The Liberal Democrats have backed down under pressure, but they are still pushing ahead with the parking hike.
They want to raise charges by 10 per cent before May’s council elections, then hit drivers with the bigger increases and new Sunday charges afterwards. They are going ahead with approving the plan now while keeping its worst effects away from the ballot box.
More than 4,000 residents have told them to think again. They should scrap these plans, not hide the bill until after the election.”
Cllr Bob Filmer, Somerset Conservatives’ Opposition Spokesman for Transport, said:
“The amended recommendations are an improvement, but I remain concerned that they lay the groundwork for the previous proposals to return later. Residents, businesses and councillors should have been involved before these conclusions were reached. Consultation after an in-principle decision is too late.
I still have not seen an assessment of what the final changes would mean for local businesses and communities. The council also appears to be counting on uncertain parking income rather than starting with its policy of supporting our commercial centres. Once again, it is delaying the final decisions and leaving the council elected next May to deal with the consequences.”
