Parking charges will not quadruple in parts of Brighton and Hove after councillors agreed to reverse a budget decision.
Four parking zones were due to become high-tariff zones next Monday (17 July), having previously been low-tariff.
The move was overturned by the Labour-dominated Strategy, Finance and City Regeneration Committee this afternoon (Thursday 13 July).
The committee, made up of senior councillors, voted to end moving zones C, H, J and N into the high-tariff bracket.
The eight Labour members backed keeping the wider 10 per cent parking charge increase that was agreed in February.
The charge for an hour in the four low-tariff parking zones will now go up from £1.40 to £1.50 instead of quadrupling to £5.60.
There was outrage when the parking charge increases went live on Brighton and Hove City Council’s website.
It showed increases ranging from 185 to 300 per cent in zones C, H, J and N – streets around the Royal Sussex County Hospital, in Queen’s Park and Kemp Town, by London Road Station and in central Hove.
The council’s executive director for the economy, environment and culture Donna Chisholm said that the charges were advertised in April before appearing on the council website, ready to take effect on Monday 17 July.
Labour councillor Trevor Muten, who chairs the council’s Transport and Sustainability Committee, said that Labour and the Conservatives had voted against the increases earlier this year.
He said: “There was no support for the Green Party decision to triple hourly car parking including around our hospital.
“This indiscriminate aggressive attack on NHS, care workers, outpatients, small businesses, residents and visitors is unacceptable.
“These are not cash cows to be milked again and again. Rather they are people who need to get around our city to live and work.”
Councillor Muten said that an NHS worker would have had to spend two hours’ pay on their parking if the increases had gone ahead.
He said that a long-term commonsense approach was needed for parking charges which would happen as part of a city-wide review.
Green group convenor Steve Davis said that he could not vote for the changes because he could not see how the council would make up the predicted £400,000 in lost income.
Councillor Davis asked if there was hard data on how many visitors arrive in Brighton and Hove by car rather than train.
Mrs Chilsholm said that she could provide the data – and the number arriving by car was “significant”.
Councillor Davis said: “Labour voted for it. You could have had support from the Conservative group to vote this down. Of course, I support our NHS workers.
“This drastically undermines the £28 million investment in the bus service improvement plan.”
Conservative group leader Alistair McNair said that Labour voted for the budget in February, including increased parking charges.
Councillor McNair said: “Since I’ve been a councillor, one of the number one complaints is parking fees have been astronomical.
“Many residents in Patcham and Hollingbury are tradespeople, scaffolders and painters. They will not go into the city.
“It should not have been a surprise to Labour that there was a huge outcry from residents about the shocking increases.”
Councillor McNair called for parking charges to remain at 2022 levels, with a full city-wide review while voting against all the recommendations before the committee.
Labour leader Bella Sankey said that a full city-wide review of parking charges was under way.
Councillor Sankey told the meeting: “So flawed was the approach to parking by the last administration that we are not convinced that the projected income from these increased parking charges would have been realised.
“For the 2023-24 financial year, we already know an underachievement of £830,000 is forecast for parking. There was a £1 million shortfall last year.
“Which is why we’ve tasked officers with a whole new remodelling of our parking charges across the city.”
When councillors approved higher parking and permit charges in the budget in February, the increases were expected to generate an extra £3.15 million for the council.
But in May, the council’s parking services were generating less income than expected, with a shortfall of £830,000 forecast against a £45 million budget.
The shortfalls are the result of a reduced demand for permits and less on-street parking income.
That’s wonderful news. Charges must remain reasonable . I have friends that already wont visit because of the charges. J zone has been in operation many years but newer zones have soft parking and no restrictions at weekends . Can’t our zone be reviewed and come into line with the newer zones. Friends just don’t want to visit and bother to pay for an hour or two with their mobile. Sometimes its just nice to turn up and say hello and have a cup of tea. The soft parking allows this and makes life more sociable.
Are we really concerned that Green Councillor Steve Davis could not agree?
Perhaps if he hadn’t spent £1m on cycle hangars, or £13m on Beryl bikes that very few can afford to use.
How much will VG3 cost the city when it is only really of benefit to cyclists? Does he have any “hard data” to support his claim the that the Aquarium was the most dangerous roundabout in the UK?
But I do love his attack on Labour – didn’t they abstain on the vote, rather than support it, and wasn’t it the Greens who wanted to penalise residents, visit, commuters and NHS workers?
And isn’t Councillor Steve Davis a driving instructor leading to ever more motorists?
Davis is running scared – he’s made his twitter ‘private’!
Has Councillor Davis not noticed there’s been a train strike for months? This is why many of us are driving – often to shop elsewhere. A conversation with the transport unions might be more productive. He’s obviously never tried to cycle uphill to Ladies Mile Road with 4 large heavy bags and a handbag, which is what I regularly have.
The headline should read “Labour are increasing parking charges by 10%” which I applaud. Cycle hangars are full with long waiting lists which is great for the city. I am surprised that the bike hire cost £13million when it’s run by a private company that charges people to hire them. Where are your figures from?
The thing with the hospital area is that the hospital own car park would have been cheaper than the on street prices, so naturally people would use them, meaning a hike could have very well lose the council money.
Something Cllr. Davis would have known, had he consulted the local residents who know the hyperlocal.
It’s an absolute disgrace that the Greens wasted so much of our council tax money on bike hangers & unaffordable bike hire, not to mention the i360 that owes the city millions now. They should be held to account for squandering our our hard earned money on their frivolous ideas Then they raise the council tax to the maximum to cover their ego-led mismanagement
Nice to see the Greens continue to double down on their mistakes, we haven’t seen one ounce of humility since their trouncing at the local elections. Nice to see as well that this Labour Group is a totally different animal under Sankey rather then the faux Greens we had previously
Great news. Now reverse some more of the stupid plans i.e. VG3 getting rid of the Aquarium roundabout etc, etc,
Come on Labour show you car for the City. If they continue might have to vote !!!!!!
If you don’t vote, you don’t get to complain.
This council overcharges for parking services wholesale. It makes a vast surplus which it can only spend on transport related schemes. It squander this money with abandon. It is time to make parking services cash neutral and not a cash cow. This would lower charges for residents, business and visitors, making the city friendly to do business in
A canny move by Labour to shut the doctors and nurses up, but a rise by 10 pence an hour is still a lot in one of the most expensive cities to park in outside of London.
What will be the rest of the city’s fate post promised autumn parking review?
Like other commentators I have friends who won’t visit me here because of the sky high parking and I have to drive to meet them out of town – so no emissions saved. It has ruined their former enjoyment of Brighton and Hove and obviously they spend no money here any more and I spend less money here too.
So a toast to this partially good news but let’s not forget Labour would have been quite happy to impose this horrific parking hike on us all, were it not for the dissenters.
And it’s really good that they react and respond to us, which is perhaps more than we could have expected before the local elections, isn’t it? That two-way communication is something we should foster and celebrate when it’s done well.
For many years I have parked in Brighton
Walked along the sea front bought fish
Walked into the town bought various items over the years
Had many happy and fun visits to Brighton
Fast forward to today
£15.00 to park my car for 4 hours wow !!!!!!!
I can park in central London for that price !!!
End of my visits to Brighton
There are well over 35million cars plus Lorries vans buses coaches etc!! In the uk
Why is it that everyone in councils seems to be hell bent on stopping cars
In a perfect world we would all have fume free cars that cost nothing to buy or use
even if we all became environmentally responsible etc
Brighton apparently will still rip everyone off for parking
Brighton you are insane get rid of the stupid ridiculous charges