A decision to quadruple on-street parking charges in four zones in Brighton and Hove is to be reviewed.
Labour leader Bella Sankey announced the review today (Monday 26 June) after an outcry from the public.
Councillor Sankey said: “Today we’re announcing a review of all planned changes to parking fees and charges due to be introduced next month.
“This is with a view to taking a long-term, strategic approach to parking pricing in the city, taking into account income projections for the year ahead.
“While we need to work carefully to balance the council’s budget, we must also recognise people’s concerns about price rises during this ‘cost of living crisis’.
“In particular, we want to ensure patients, carers and staff have affordable access to our hospitals and other important services within the city.”
Parking for an hour was due to go up from £1.40 to £5.60 in parking zones C, H, J and N.
The areas affected included central Hove, Queen’s Park, the London Road Station area and Kemp Town, with hospital staff and patients among those affected.
Parking for more than four hours – or up to 11 hours – in the same zones was due to almost treble from £7.60 to £22.70.
Conservative group leader Alistair McNair criticised the proposals that his party voted against twice before the budget was voted through in February.
Councillor McNair said: “Many residents in Patcham and Hollingbury, Westdene and Hove Park and across the city have been venting their fury about the skyrocketing cost of parking in Brighton and Hove, essentially pricing not only tourists but hardworking residents, families and the disabled out of travelling and working around the city by car.
“The fee pricing structure can be complicated and zones have also changed, leading to confusion and shock with prices suddenly increasing threefold in places.
“Conservatives voted against the parking increases and against the budget in February exactly because of these huge increases on top of huge council tax increases.
“As we have seen, higher parking fees have led to a lower intake of parking revenue. It is counterproductive – a fall in revenue of £1.2 million.
“This will surely increase at a time we need to plug a £3 million gap. We hope the new administration reflects quickly on these rises and helps out residents who are already struggling with the cost of living, much of the struggle being down to the council’s own decisions.”
Conservative councillor Samer Bagaeen, who speaks for his party on transport, was equally critical, saying: “Where we have ended up is the result of the past two administrations taking action on reducing the number of parking places to make way for active travel improvements resulting in the loss of £1.2 million in parking revenue.
“Residents should be under no doubt that we have arrived here by design and not by accident.
“The tripling of parking charges in parts of the city and new changes to other parking schemes coming on board will cost residents more money to make up the shortfall that started with Labour’s 2019 administration losing a large number of parking bays along the seafront.”
Green group convenor Steve Davis chaired the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee during the budget-setting process.
Labour and Conservatives voted against increased parking charges when the proposals went before them in January.
Councillor Davis said: “The council has a responsibility to finance road improvements as well as bus passes for elderly residents and those with disabilities.
“Parking charges have made this possible while also reducing congestion. At the same time, reviews are always welcome to ensure that fees are proportionate. We look forward to inputting into that process.”
Cllr Davis pretending to care about the disabled?
Tell us what you did in Gardner St, Steve!
Cllr. Davis forgets how moves like this impact various other aspects of the community and appears to be a constant blindspot in his deliberations. However, I am very pleased with Cllr. Sankey’s decision made today to pause to think about this.
I said it earlier, but one instance showed that at an estimated increase in volunteer cost of £12,000 in parking fees over twelve months should these go ahead, and a lack of access to guest permits or dispensational discounts for community assets, it is not unreasonable to conjecture that it would become unviable for volunteer groups, and Brighton would lose functionality of a valuable resource with a powerful, evidence-based need in the community.
It’s a sudden expense that people really cannot afford right now. If it must be done, then it needs to be with a lot more decorum and innovation than simply upping the numbers.
If this goes ahead we can certainly look forward to masses more empty shops in Brighton & Hove. Who on earth would want to pay such exorbitant parking charges to do their shopping here?
We have been coming to Brighton on a monthly basis for about 5 years and spend In the region of £200 per visit. That will now stop as we can no longer warrant the 400% parking charge increases we have put up with. It was around £5 per day and as of today £22.10 enough is enough on to pastures new
Labour feel like a breath of fresh air after the Greens, an administration that seems to be listening. One of the main reasons for these higher charges is because of the loss of parking in areas such as Madeira Drive and the A259. All future schemes need to seriously consider ongoing loses if you remove parking
It’s both hilarious and karmic that Davis now has to defend his and his party’s actions of the last few years, when he ignored residents and due democratic process.
Keep digging, Steve!
I had never been to Brighton so we chose to travel there via our way home . On arrival the the first thing that we notice was the lack of parking hundred of empty spaces for residents only why can’t these spaces be used during the day when people are at work ? The next was the cost of parking which was even back then was expensive, we thought about a bus but that also was expensive times 2 so we decided not to bother so we drove along the front and went on our way and I don’t think that will change with or if they put the price up for parking and of course we will probably have to deal with cameras and no cash machines for payment . I would like visit B/H but I don’t think it going to happen , how many other old people are saying the same
Glad to see Labour are going to look into this as they were so keen during the local elections to support NHS workers, visitors and others who may now have to pay an hourly rate in parking charges, more or equal to their hourly pay.
Well as far as I’m concerned no more visits to Brighton & Hove. Will visit Eastbourne, Lewes and other places that want my business. Parking Revenue will decline even more with these charges.
Parking in the council run car parks in the city has become extortionate.. I parked in the lanes car park Saturday night arrived just before 8pm and left just before midnight £14.90
It is now two tier charging for evenings not the one tier.. used to be able to park overnight.. entry after 6pm for £6.
Not only daylight robbery but night time robbery too..
My aunt lives in Kemp Town and has reduced mobility. Her son used to visit her every day after work and at weekends. He is not especially well off, and the cost of driving here from his workplace near Eastbourne and then to his home near Storrington has gone up massively. Parking charges apply until 8pm in Brighton, rather than 6pm as in most other areas, and my aunt is limited to 50 visitor permits a year, which is less than one a week. Her son already visits her less for financial reasons, and his visits are shorter now, to try to save on parking charges, and the latest huge increase in charges will only mean even fewer visits for her. My cousin and my aunt are just two of the unseen victims of this rapacious pricing. It’s a stain on Brighton’s reputation, the way it taxes families and careers in this way.
As the comments have said, much of this is due to the loss of parking revenue from the seafront spaces. A lot of this revenue comes from tourists so is money that is coming into the city. We should be welcoming this money, without it we as residents have to spend more to make up any gaps…
Isn’t the answer simple? Put the seafront cycle lane back where it was and invest a small amount of money in putting in some lines for parking over the new cycle lane? The old way worked and produced over a million pounds a year. It also helped bring people to the city and all the spending and benefits this brings.
Let’s see how brave Labour are. Will they make a cycle lane less wide (but still be there) to bring over a million pounds a year?
Why not get a shuttle service from somewhere up by the dyke roundabout and make a car park for people to leave their cards under ground somewhere out of Brighton. People could get in on a green bus. OK it would cost money but you can certainly charge tourists or day trippers i think the shorter stay the more expensive it should be encouraging people to stay for a longer weekend etc and pay less parking so then they would spend a bit more money in Brighton and Hove and we would reduce traffic fumes or reinstigate the tram from the dyke into Brighton trams are fumeless ways to travel and carry a lot of people though of course it might add to a bit more chaos on the rather poorly planned streets of Brighton. Also people should be banned from owning big cars I saw a guy with a big car blatantly park in a disabled pay at Waitrose this evening. No disabled sticker but a car the size of a Concord. Sorry to rant on here. Oh well in another world.
If you’re a resident with a car you’ll probably have a resident’s permit. If you’re driving to another part of the city, why? The buses are currently good value and reliable. Or just walk. It’s not a big place. If it’s too expensive to park then don’t drive. Fewer cars driving round the city makes it nicer for everyone. Disabled people should have cheap or free parking though
What if you can’t walk?
What if you’re a couple of disabled people in wheelchairs?
Only one wheelchair is allowed on a bus!
Leave your partner in the rain?
I wouldn’t drive to central London and park. I don’t know anyone who takes their car to London. I go by public transport. If the capital city can attract millions this way then why can’t Brighton.
Has Cllr Davis suddenly found his conscience about making provisions for disabled people? Pity he didn’t find it before he pushed through the cycle lanes that left disabled people having to get themselves or their disabled passengers in/out of the vehicles straight into the cycle lane; or before he signed off the nightmare bus boarders that have stopped disabled people from feeling safe to use London transport because you have to cross the cycle lane and the bikers don’t stop, which are planned for the A23 due to the cycle lane that’s planned (which will also screw up the bus timetables); or before his party signed off and praised a £3m city playgrounds Refurb that to date hasn’t installed a single wheelchair platform swing; or before he closed Gardner Street and imprisoned at least one disabled resident, and not content with that, signed off for the bays to be completely removed so that disabled people can’t even use the area in the evening when the road is open. But here he is ‘leveraging’ disabled people to justify the massive hike in parking fees his party signed off. Who do you think has to come to help us when we can’t find PAs to help us, and when our social care doesn’t meet our needs because we can’t find people to work for such a low hourly rate? We rely on friends or family coming to help – but they would be hit by these huge parking increases – assuming they can find somewhere to park. It’s obvious that the whole balance was tipped and Active Travel funding was disproportionately tipped toward cycling, which removed significant stretches of parking, which served our traders, our trades, visitors, our holiday spenders, and was a convenient way to then hike the charges to punish the motorist. Ironically, it seems the Greens were all stick and no carrot. Here’s hoping for long term affordable bus transport, a decent park & ride, affordable AND accessible parking; a city where roads work for motorists who need to use their vehicles, and a city centre that everyone can access and enjoy, including disabled people. And in answer to Cllr Davis’ argument that it was justified to close Gardner Street for the benefit of the majority, this is precisely why the Equalities Act and before that, the Disabled Person’s Act came into being – to ensure that everyone has their human rights protected. Disabled people make up the largest ‘protected group’ and we are fed up of being used for political gain. Here’s hoping the new Administration will look at all current schemes and ensure that Equalities considerations are at the heart of decision making moving forward.
We went to Brighton yesterday , we visit often . We couldn’t believe the price of the parking has skyrocketed so much . When we eventually did go to park somewhere all the metres were taped up. I have the pay & park app so tried to pay on that , but it said my card was declined ( nothing wrong with my card ! ) I then called then number advertised to pay and it told me to use the app ! We gave up and left … we normally would shop , eat & drink and pay for parking … all that revenue lost. I think it’s a potential disaster for Brighton . We won’t go back now