Above-Inflation Brighton Parking Charge Increase Proposed

Councillors will decide next week whether to put up the price of resident parking permits in Brighton and Hove.

They are being asked to agree a 9% rise in the basic cost of an annual permit: from £165 to £180.

The council offers a 50% discount for low-emission vehicles and charges 50 per cent more for vehicles with higher emissions.

In homes with two cars, the price looks like going up by 6% from £245 to £260 while a permit for a third car is expected to increase by 4.6% from £325 to £340.

The council is also proposing a 9% price rise for permits in areas with a light-touch parking scheme – from £110 to £120.

The cost of a second permit in a light-touch area is planned to rise by 5.6% from £180 to £190 while a permit for a third car is expected to rise by 4% from £250 to £260.

The cost of a quarterly permit looks likely to stay the same at £45 in areas with day-long restrictions while a six-month permit in light-touch areas is also likely be unchanged at £60.

Even the cheapest on-street charges look like going up 9% from £1.10 to £1.20 for an hour.

Councillors are also being asked to agree higher car park charges, with 15% increases on average proposed for Trafalgar Street, The Lanes, Regency Square and London Road.

The price of the shortest stays could go up by more than 20%, most notably at London Road where the cost of an hour is slated to rise by 25% from £1.60 to £2.

Drivers will be able to buy an all-day ticket to park at the King Alfred for £10 for 12 hours while a season ticket there could rise 25% from £800 to £1,000.

There are no plans to increase permit costs for traders, hotels, doctors, schools or carers.

Business permits are proposed to go up 12.5% from £400 to £450 for a year and 4.3% for three months – from £115 to £120.

A decision on the parking fees and charges for the next financial year – from April – are due to be decided by Brighton and Hove City Council’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee next Tuesday (19 January).

The proposed 2021-22 increases are said to be in response to a review of parking demand and the council’s Local Transport Plan.

A report to the committee said:

“Improving air quality is a key objective for Brighton and Hove City Council.

“As part of a range of measures to improve air quality such as the Low Emission Zone, parking charges can also help to encourage less-polluting travel options and reduce emissions.

“In addition, congestion across the city can affect the reliability of journey times and long-term parking can reduce accessibility and the turnover of spaces.

“Better accessibility through a high turnover of vehicles being parked helps to support local businesses.

“Parking charges can help to encourage alternative transport choices and higher turnover of spaces.”

The council said that its profits – known as a surplus – helped pay for bus subsidies, free bus passes for the elderly and disabled, proposals in the Local Transport Plan and environmental improvements.

Last year the council made almost £34 million from parking – on and off street – and made profits of just over £19 million.

The cost of bus passes totalled almost £11 million and £1.2 million went on supporting bus services.

A further £2.3 million was spent on projects such as travel plans for schools, the New Road and Church Street junction and crossing, the railway bridge support in Chatham Place and work on retaining walls at Bear Road, Dyke Road Drive and Marine Parade.

The virtual meeting of the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee is due to start at 4pm next Tuesday (19 January) and is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.