York Council Budget proposals include hiking its parking fees to £4.85-per-hour for the first and second hour and further 10 per cent increases on Saturdays and for visitors during events.
Labour council finance spokesperson Cllr Katie Lomas said an ongoing consultation aimed to get residents’ views as the authority tries to balance its Budget ahead of its unveiling next year.
But Liberal Democrat opposition leader Cllr Nigel Ayre said fee hikes would come as the council looks to cut car use locally, raising questions over the amount they could raise.
Proposals for parking charges come alongside others being consulted on for the forthcoming Budget which include hiking council tax by the maximum allowed from April and the following two years.
An increase of 4.99 per cent in council tax would be the equivalent of a £96.99-a-year hike on a Band D property.
The council’s proposals aim to close a £30 million budget gap forecast over the next three years according to forecasts in its medium-term financial outlook.
Councillors on the Corporate Services, Climate Change and Scrutiny Management Committee heard the forecasts could change depending on factors such as increased National Insurance costs announced in October.
Cllr Nigel Ayre
They heard plans for maximum hikes in council tax would raise more money than previously forecast while a report stated higher than expected green waste collection sign-ups also boosted income.
Councillors also heard the proposals set out in the consultation still left it shy of a balanced budged for the 2025-6 financial year.
The consultation which sets out proposals the council are considering is ongoing and runs until Wednesday, January 1.
Proposals floated for parking, which could raise an estimated £1 million-a-year, would see see hourly fees drop to £4.10 after the first two hours in council car parks.
People with Minister Badges would still get a 10 per cent discount for the duration of the two-year permit.
Free parking for Blue Badge holders would also continue in council car parks.
The proposals to hike fees for visitors during events such as the Christmas Market could raise £230,000 on top of the £1 million earned from other parking charge hikes.
But a separate report to the council’s Executive in November stated transactions at council car parks had reduced by seven per cent in the financial year up to August.
It added the fall had been outstripped by a rise in takings per transaction meaning car park income was up by four per cent compared to the 2023-4 financial year.
Other proposals being consulted on include a five per cent increase in the £109.95 charge for the first car under the residential permit parking scheme (ResPark).
A 10 per cent hike is also proposed for the £240 charge for a second parking permit at an address and discounts for low emissions vehicles could also be cut.
Installing additional CCTV cameras to enable Blue Badge holders to access the city centre, as opposed to using external contractors, has also been floated.
Beyond parking, the consultation also asks residents whether they would agree with changing the way community safety is run, though this would not reduce frontline services.
Opinions are also sought on reducing some recycling banks and requiring the Make It York tourism and events body to become financially self-sufficient.
Taking longer to replace old traffic lights, saving money spent on subsidising bus routes and reducing CCTV coverage are also floated.
The consultation also asks for views on the introduction of a visitor levy or tourist tax though the council currently has no powers to impose one.
Council finance spokesperson Cllr Lomas said the consultation was not a vote on what would make it into the Budget but it was about gauging the appetite for the proposals.
The Labour executive member said: “We can’t go through everything the council spends money on line-by-line and ask people about it but it is helpful to hear people’s views on the things that we’re thinking about.
“It’s really difficult when you have to do a consultation on the difficult decisions that we as politicians were elected to make.”
Liberal Democrat Cllr Ayre said the council’s aim to cut car use by a fifth in the coming years made it difficult to predict how much charge hikes could make.
The opposition leader said: “We have a stated policy and we want to remove spaces from the city centre, so there’s also issues around displacement to other car parks.
“Is it sensible to assume there will be income in the short-term that won’t necessarily be there in two or three years’ time?”
