Agenda item

To consider the report of the head of development and corporate landlord. 

Cabinet considered the head of development and corporate landlord’s report on the annual review of the council’s car parking fees.  Cabinet noted that the council’s car parking function should be self-financing, with the aim for income to meet costs.  Any surplus could be spent on car park resurfacing, the provision and maintenance of toilets in the car parks, and related infrastructure, such as cycle racks. 

The report set out the following options:

·       Option A – no change to the current car parking fees;

·       Option B – provide permits of residents local to Church Road car park in Wheatley at £70 per annum(limited to one permit per property);

·       Option C – a new simplified parking fee structure, as set out in table 4 in the report; and

·       Option D – remove half price permits for electric vehicles. 

Cabinet considered the options and concluded that the council should increase car parking fees to allow the expected increase in costs to be met.  This removed option A. 

The Cabinet member for the environment proposed options B and C and added that permits should be available for all council owned car parks where there was currently no charge.  The Cabinet member also proposed that officers should write to Wallingford Town Council and the other private landowner to seek their endorsement to align the parking fees structure at Goldsmith’s Lane car park in Wallingford to bring the fees into line with the Cattlemarket car park. 

Cabinet supported these proposals but rejected a further proposal for option D, as Cabinet believed that removing the half price permits for electric vehicles would send the wrong message at this stage. 

RESOLVED:

(a)       to agree the car parking fees for the financial year 2024-25, including:

(i)         providing permits for residents local to Church Road car park, Wheatley at a cost of £70 per year (one permit per property);

(ii)        providing permits for other car parks where there is currently no charge, at a cost of £70 per year;

(iii)      a new simplified parking fee structure, as set out at table 4 in the head of development and corporate landlord’s report to Cabinet on 30 November 2023;

(b)       in relation to (a)(i) and (ii) above, to authorise the head of legal and democratic to prepare and publish a draft order under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984;

(c)        in relation to (a)(iii) above, to authorise the head of legal and democratic to prepare a Notice of Variation under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 for publishing in the local newspaper and all affected car parks;

(d)       to request the head of development and corporate landlord to write to Wallingford Town Council and the private landowner to seek their endorsement to align the parking fees structure at Goldsmith’s Lane car park, Wallingford to bring the fees into line with the Cattlemarket car park in Wallingford; and

(e)       to authorise the head of development and corporate landlord to oversee necessary communications and consultations and report back to Cabinet.