Parking charge increases in parts of Brighton and Hove have been described as a “punch in the face” for businesses and families.
On-street parking charges are due to go up on Monday 17 July, with four formerly low-tariff parking zones facing a price jump of between 185 and 300 per cent.
Areas affected are the parking zones C, H, J and N, which cover the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Queen’s Park, Kemp Town, London Road Station area and central Hove.
In Brunswick and Adelaide, parking zone M, charges are set to be increased from medium to high tariffs.
Parking zones C, H, J and N
One hour £1.40 to £5.60 – 300 per cent
Two hours £2.80 to £9.30 – 230 per cent
Four hours £5.50 to £15.70 – 185 per cent
11 hours £7.60 to £22.70 – 198 per cent
Parking zone M
One hour £2.80 to £5.60 – 100 per cent
Two hours £6.30 to £9.30 – 47 per cent
Four hours £9.10 to £15.70 – 73 per cent
11 hours from £14.60 to £22.70 – 55 per cent
Central Hove resident Richard Nowak described the increase as “shocking”.
He said: “I’ve spoken to a traffic warden the other day, and some charges will double or triple in central Hove.
“It is gonna be a punch in the face for the local business and families who already struggle with the cost of living.”
Independent business owner Sophie Foster worries about staff and customer parking for her business in Kingsway, Hove.
She said: “It is a huge increase for my clients to have to pay, some of which would be in the salon for three plus hours.
“Due to the living crisis, people are already stretching their appointments to the max, which is another reason why small businesses cannot stay open.
“People that work full time in the area will need to spend over £110 per week on parking, its ludicrous!
“I chose this location because the parking was affordable, but now it’s quickly become one of the most expensive places to park.”
Royal Sussex County Hospital-based doctor Malcolm McKenzie described the increase as “brutal” as he could justify paying £7.60 to park a short walk away from work but faces a £22.70 bill.
He said: “Taking a bus doesn’t work if I need to go to our sister hospital during the day. There isn’t the infrastructure to go outside the city.
“Where does a price increase of 190 per cent come from.”
Taking a bus doesn’t work if I need to go to our sister hospital during the day. There isn’t infrastructure to go outside the city.
And where does a price increase of 190 percent come from?!?!— Malcolm McKenzie (@fourhourtarget) June 26, 2023
Bristol Estate Tenants and Residents Association trustee Benjamin D’Montigny said the new rates come with “little fanfare or warning”.
He said: “I have been looking to work with our community networks to make sure people are well informed of the hikes happening on the 17July.
“One the one hand, the new parking in the Royal Sussex hospital is cheaper than it’s surrounding area, Zone H, and this may encourage use of the new facilities.
“However, as day rates are getting closer to the level of a discounted PCN (penalty charge notice), this may also encourage antisocial parking; drivers may simply risk a ticket.”
A petition launched late on Sunday 25 June, on the Change.org website titled “Oppose extortionate parking cost increase in Hove” currently has 37 signatures.
Labour and Conservative councillors voted against the increases at the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee on Tuesday 17 January, during this year’s budget setting process.
At the time, councillors received the report the day before the meeting. It said there would be an average of a 10 per cent increase in on-street parking charges across the city.
Detailed breakdowns of the increases in an appendix to the report showed high tariff areas in the city centre facing an increase of between six per cent and nine per cent, and low tariffs between seven and 10 per cent increase.
The higher increases faced by zones moving from low to high charges are listed, but the difference between the two prices is not shown.
Details of parking fee increases were a late addition to the agenda when councillors were asked to vote on the increases.
At the meeting, the then Labour co-leader Carmen Appich said: “I cannot understand why we haven’t taken earlier action to pull some of this back. In-year increases to some fees 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.'”
At the same meeting, Robert Nemeth, the Conservative spokesperson on the committee, described the charges as “outrageous”.
After the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee rejected the fees, the decision went to the Budget Policy and Resources Committee on Thursday 9 February.
At the second meeting, the four Labour councillors abstained from the vote, the two Conservatives voted against it, and the decision passed with four votes from the Greens.
Still incredibly cheap to store your private property on public land.
Wait till you want a tradesman, and you have a leaking pipe which is flooding your property and the plumber says sorry but we no longer cover that area.
Tradesman will have a permit.
Yes, but do you know how much a Tradesman’s permit cossts? No One willpay for one, as there is plenty of work in non permit areas……
Not all trades have permits, these are expensive so consideration of the requirement against jobs taken needs to be considered. Businesses have costs like everybody else and in the main need to remain competitive so the gap between making a loss or a small profit is all important.
Why should I come to your house where I spend say 10 for parking when I can do the same job for someone else and only pay 5.
The good thing about running your own business you can be very selective of what jobs you take on.
The more increases you get, the less people will want to cover those areas, and those who will come will certainly charge a lot more.
I’m an electrician I don’t have a permit and I do not know anyone in the trade who does. I do know of some that are not working in Brighton because of the cost and difficulty finding a space to park and the 4,000 traffic wardens roaming the streets
If you think more than five thousand pounds a year is cheap for an NHS worker to park near their work so they can travel while working, then you really are immune to the cost of living crisis and the challenges most of us face.
If the aim is to charge for private use of public space, then the new cycle hangers will see huge price rises in these areas. To around five hundred to a thousand per year per bike. Nobody wants that surely?
I pay road tax glen…. So the idea I have to pay a second non means tested tax because some moronic incompetent green councillors don’t understand that some of us work in areas where there is no public transport to frankly be pretty insulting.
These endless car charges affect people’s lives in very negative ways.
Not as cheap as cycle hangars and the lost parking revenue every cause 😉
Hmm, but I have a company vehicle that I use to provide you a service, no problem, will just add the parking to your bill or choose not to cover your area. What you going to do then?
Scorched earth policy by the greens who knew their days were numbered, and didn’t care a jot for the people who live and work here.
Labour’s hands aren’t clean either, as by abstaining on the vote at the BPR committee, they guaranteed the increased charges would come into effect.
Time for the new council to show some guts and reverse these increases.
It’s no wonder the parking machines are being removed, as there is no doubt that they would be subject to attacks by visitors outraged at the extortionate charges.
Seen the latest? I posted a link below.
Oh dear oh dear – the last vestiges on the Green’s anti-car policies married up with depriving residents of essential services while diverting budget to their own pet projects. Central government is bust, no extra cash will come from there. Robbing the people you serve will not hold out well. the only option is to build up commerce. That means allowing customers and tourists to park.
This is a disgusting money grubbing attack on residents. I hope the new Labour council will see sense and reverse these disastrous increases.
This will finally kill off elderly people being able to afford to go to Church, visit friends , attend meetings. It will increase loneliness. Come on new council show you care and reverse this at once.
They’ve not long announced that they are going to review the proposed changes, I’d count that as a victory.
Parking permits are limited to 50 a year meaning we are allowed one visitor a week. Any body else will then have to pay an extortionate amount to visit me, a retired widow . How can can this be justified on any level?
I’d like to see guest permits more freely available to tenants in both quantities and accessibility. I’d like to work with the council on setting this up, watch this space?
I have noticed the price increases have been removed from the website, and Cllr Sankey as made a statement on the matter within a few hours of this coming to their attention. This is most reasonable, to be fair, and evidences a council that listens.
https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/news/2023/parking-fees-and-charges-brighton-hove?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=twitter
No wonder green councillor Davis made his twitter account private!
We have just got rid one set of brainless clowns. Let us hope we are not stuck with another lot. Labour cannot be trusted any more than the Ghastly Greens.
This is crazy and the impact will be widely and negatively felt.
How long till the visitors permits go up too?
In other cities visitors permits are more flexible in terms of duration and cost i.e. for an hour or 4 hours at a time enabling tradespeople and visitors to have short visits and not use up a whole days permit.
How on earth can they justify these charges……most undemocratic decision I have seen so far by last lot, hopefully this administration will come to their senses and talk to the ppl first b4 making Draconian charges.
Not been to Brighton for several years due to high parking charges and traffic wardens everywhere…standing there watching you as you try to park. Looked to go this week, but things haven’t changed. Parking for 4 hours nearly £25 and shops whine they are losing customers.
I still do most shopping online and see no reason to change and certainly no reason to go to Brighton. For the record, affordability is not a problem at all, I just object to overpaying.
This will increase local traffic surely? It’d be cheaper to drop off and collect my partner when they’re on call rather than them take themselves. Double the journey, double the co2 emissions.
They’d be better off actually enforcing existing parking rules, the amount of double parking and double yellow parking in Brighton is ridiculous.
J Jones,
It would help then if they stopped putting bike sheds, flower pots, communal bins and anything else in parking bays.
They’re trying to scare car drivers away…all part of the bigger plan to make Brighton and Hove car-free. Ill-planned cycle lanes and bike shelters have meant hundreds of parking spaces lost. However, they need to make up the lost revenue somehow. Still, by the time local businesses have gone bust, and tourists decide that it’s too expensive to visit, it won’t matter because no-one will need to park anywhere. It’ll be nice and quiet, with nothing to do and nowhere to go. BHCC has no f-ing idea
This is absolutely disgusting. This a tourism city and punishing everyone but raising these charges in this way is truly disgusting.
Yes, but do you know how much a Tradesman’s permit costs? No One will pay for one, as there is plenty of work in non permit areas……and there’s always the i360 debts to pay for….
The figures in the article don’t match the figures quoted from the council. Zone J – 2 hrs (old) is £2.80 in one table, and £8.80 in another table. I’m confused!
astonishing sequence of events : the 4 labour cllrs at Budget Policy and Resources Committee on Thursday 9 February should hang their heads in shame …. the real culprits are the council officers who bully the gullible cllrs…..