Agenda item

To consider the head of housing and environment’s report. 

Cabinet considered the head of housing and environment’s report on a review of car park fees and charges. 

The Cabinet member reported that in reviewing the car park fees and charges he had taken into account the costs of running the car parks, the impact on the town and village centres, the impact on air quality, place-making, and the council’s finances.  The council had a financial deficit that it needed to reduce.  The council was allowed to cover the costs of providing car parking but had not done so in recent years.  He therefore proposed modest changes to the car parking fees and charges to cover the council’s costs, thereby helping to reduce the council’s deficit. 

The Climate Emergency Advisory Committee had considered a number of options for reviewing car park fees and charges on 28 January 2020.  The committee made no recommendations to Cabinet on the proposed fees but asked for consideration to be given to reducing pollution, supporting more public transport, and supporting vibrant town centres. 

The Cabinet member supported a reduction in car use in the town centres to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality.  However, the recent measures to promote active travel, such as some new cycle racks and the closure of some roads, were not at a stage where it would be useful or effective to use punitive parking prices as a stick to back them up.  Therefore, he did not propose that the council increased prices as an environmental policy measure at this stage.  Until there were alternatives in terms of public or active transport, he believed that this would be unfair. 

The Cabinet member proposed the options set out in Table 1 in the report.  These were:

A.        Align all charging car parks in the centre of market towns of Didcot, Henley, Wallingford and Thame, as well as Goring, to all have up to one hour of free parking between the charging hours, and to amend charging hours to 9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday in all car parks where a charge is made.

B.        Increase all fees (for up to two hours and above) by 20p

C.        Change the current permitted parking period from Monday to Saturday to Monday to Sunday, 9am to 5pm in all car parks.  This was clarified at the meeting to mean all charging car parks and not to limited waiting. 

D.        Increase the all-day parking fees at Edinburgh Drive car park, Didcot and Wheel Orchard car park, Goring. 

E.        Introduce half priced permits for electric vehicles only

F.        Introduce fees at the High Street car park in Chinnor.  This was clarified at the meeting to mean Mondays to Saturdays, not Sundays. 

G.       Review of parking permits

H.        Introduce charging points for electric vehicles

Cabinet concurred, believing that it was important to progress these measures and noted that some would require formal consultation as part of a regulatory process.  The consultation results would be reported to Cabinet later in 2020.  Cabinet thanked officers for keeping the car parks and in some cases public conveniences open during the Covd-19 lockdown period.  Councillors noted that NHS staff permits were recognised by the council in its car parks.  Cabinet supported the proposals. 

RESOLVED: to

(a)      amend the car parking fees in line with the proposals set out in paragraphs 11 to 28 of the head of housing and environment’s report to Cabinet on 6 August 2020, subject to:

(i)        option C being clarified to mean all charging car parks and not to limited waiting,

(ii)       option F being clarified to mean Mondays to Saturdays, not Sundays;

(b)      agree to remove the reference (e) in the car park pricing policy (2006) that states ‘No fees and charges to apply on Sundays’;

(c)       authorise the head of legal and democratic to prepare and publish a draft order under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to reflect the agreed changes where required; and

(d)          allow the head of housing and environment to oversee the necessary consultations in accordance with the requirements of the Act and the Local Authorities’ Traffic Orders (Procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996 and responses will be reported back to Cabinet after the end of the consultation period.