CAR PARKING charges will rise following a vote of Wokingham Borough Council’s ruling executive – but the plans have been amended.
From January, Wokingham’s car parks will charge seven days a week from 6am to 10pm, changing from the current 8am-6pm Monday to Saturday.
Wokingham town centre car parks will charge £1.30 for the first hour, an increase from 80p.
Two hours would more than double from £1.20 to £2.50, while all day rates would go from £4 to £9.
Market traders would have to apply for a £35 admin charge for a permit, and then pay £6.50 all day, rather than £4.
An evening charge from 6pm would be £1 for the first hour, and £2 for over one hour.
In borough car parks outside of Wokingham town, the increases are not as large.
Up to 30 minutes, where available, moves from 50p to 60p. It is then £1 per hour up to £8 for the whole day.
The same evening charges apply: £1 for the first hour, then £2 for anything afterwards.
Residents permits, with a new zone to be developed within Woodley town centre, would cost £300 for a year. They are currently free. Three months and six month options are available at £75 and £150 respectively.
Season tickets for Wokingham car parks would increase from £900.68 for the year to £1,200 within Wokingham town and £1,100 outside. Residental permits from 6pm to 8am will increase from £292 to £300 within Wokingham town, and reduce to £275 for outside.
The executive says it has benchmarked the fees against other local councils, and there had been no increase in parking fees since 2018.
Cllr Paul Fishwick, executive member for Active Travel, Transport and Highways, said the fees had to increase as income was between £600,000 and £800,000 below forecast, with usage below pre-pandemic levels.
“Taking funding from the reserves, like the previous administration did, is not an option for open to us, as the reserves are now low,” he said.
The increase of charging times were because “a Sunday and a bank holiday is similar to a normal shopping day”.
He felt: “The introduction of charges on these days is likely to be there will be a greater turnover in car parking, bringing in additional footfall with more people spending money in our town centres.
“That will be a boost to the local economy rather than long stays taking up spaces.”
And Wokingham was not the only borough raising car parking fees. Cllr Fishwick pointed out that Bracknell Forest had announced price rises earlier in the day.
“I’m aware of several authorities locally that are reviewing their car parking charges as a means of partly overcoming rampant inflation and reducing government grants in order to protect vital services,” he said.
On the changes to the price rises as announced last week, he said it would bring in an estimated £540,000 rather than £600,000.
“That would mean some additional reduction the expenditure elsewhere or cutting of some services to balance the budget,” he said.
“I think these revised charges are a reflection that we have listened and reacted to the feedback we have received. Unfortunately, we cannot please everyone, we are in a financial emergency.”
