Somerset Council is proposing major increases to parking charges across the county.
New Sunday Charges
Under the plans, towns where council car parks currently operate Monday to Saturday would face new Sunday charging. In Taunton, for example, Canon Street car park is currently free on Sundays, but under the proposed new tariff an all-day Sunday stay could cost £12.50.
Parking Fee Increases
Existing tariffs would also change under a new tier system, with some areas facing particularly sharp increases. In Chard, for example, all-day parking at Boden Street would rise from £3.20 to £8.90. In Ilminster, all-day parking at Orchard Vale and Shudrick Lane would increase from £2 to £6.80, while several Crewkerne car parks currently charging £2.50 all day would rise to £6.80.
Charges at currently Free Car Parks
The council is also considering introducing charges at car parks which are currently free. These include South Street Market in Yeovil, car parks in Bruton and Wincanton, Priorswood Shops in Taunton, Blue Anchor seafront car park, and both Croft Way and North Street in Wiveliscombe.
New on-street Parking Charges
There are also proposals to extend charging onto streets. Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge are identified as a high-priority area, with potential charges across Burnham town centre including the Esplanade, Regent Street, College Street, Cross Street, Adam Street, Vicarage Street, South Street and Pier Street, together with all-year pay-and-display on the seafront.
These proposals are subject to decision and further consultation in some areas - we believe Somerset Council should change course now.
We, the undersigned, call on Somerset Council's Liberal Democrat administration to:
- Keep Sunday parking free in council-owned car parks in towns where no Sunday charge currently applies, and remove the introduction of Sunday charging from the current proposals.
- Reconsider proposed increases to existing parking tariffs, particularly where the new tier system would result in substantial increases for residents, workers and visitors.
- Keep currently free council car parks free, rather than progressing proposals to introduce new charges at these locations.
- Do not introduce new on-street parking charges without the support of the affected local community and businesses, including the proposals currently being considered for towns across Somerset.
Somerset's high streets, businesses and communities need support. We believe increasing the cost of visiting our towns, removing free parking and extending charging onto our high streets risks doing the opposite.