Brighton & Hove Councillors Throw Out Parking Charges Increase

Plans to increase the cost of resident parking permits and on-street parking are on hold after Conservative and Labour councillors voted against the proposals.

Parking charges were among a raft of proposed increases rejected by opposition members during a debate at Hove Town Hall on Tuesday (Jan 17).

Conservative councillor Robert Nemeth criticised Brighton and Hove City Council for losing more than £1.7 million in income from parking permits.

A report to the council’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee blamed this on various “active travel” measures such as cycle lanes and bike hangars as well as on communal bins.

Permit bays have been lost for a variety of reasons, each chipping away at the income that parking generates for the council.

Councillor Nemeth said:

“I don’t offer any sympathy if the council is deliberately taking away parking spaces and thereby choosing to lose revenue during a ‘cost of living crisis’.

“We don’t agree with these policies on their own terms and certainly don’t agree with them against the backdrop of a self-imposed huge revenue loss.”

He said that the proposed 10 per cent increase in the price of resident parking permits, on-street parking and council-owned car parks was “outrageous”.

Green councillor Elaine Hills, who chaired the meeting last night, said that the projects that had dented the council’s coffers also benefited residents.

She said:

“We want to encourage people to travel actively. I don’t think we should roll back on decisions that are going to make residents healthier and encourage them to travel actively. It’s a balancing act.”

Conservative councillor Dee Simson said that she had heard from people who were upset about the proposed increase to charges for bowls.

A report to the committee recommended putting up charges for council-owned sports facilities by 10 per cent, affecting the likes of the Preston Park velodrome, tennis courts and football pitches.

Labour councillor Carmen Appich said that the report was published late on Friday (13 January) and had allowed too little time for proper scrutiny.

She said:

“The administration knew we were in trouble as early as July and we were discussing budget gaps of around £20 million by August.

“As a qualified public sector accountant, I cannot understand why we haven’t taken earlier action to pull some of this back.

“In-year increases to some fees and charges would have been possible with consultation much earlier.

“Instead, we are given a last-minute paper, effectively holding a shotgun to our heads saying: ‘If you don’t agree this, then we’ll struggle to achieve a balanced legal budget next year.’”

Although the committee rejected the proposals, the council’s Policy and Resources Committee is expected to discuss whether to put up fees and charges at a meeting on Thursday 9 February.

Two weeks later, on Thursday 23 February, the full council is due to meet for the “annual budget council” to agree a budget and set the council tax for 2023-24.