Rises in car parking fees should ‘target tourist areas and not impact local residents’

Dale Spridgeon Local Democracy Reporter

Rises in car parking fees should “target tourist areas and not impact local residents”, councillors have argued.

During a meeting of Cyngor Gwynedd’s communities scrutiny committee on Thursday [September 12], councillors discussed the parking services’ money-saving schemes to meet budget shortfalls.

In 2023/24, a savings scheme – approved by Cyngor Gwynedd’s cabinet – concerned raising the cost to park at the tourist area Pen y Gwryd, Eryri, and an increase in the price of annual parking permits and local car parking permits, by £5 per year.

At Pen y Gwryd the same fee had existed “for years” – set at £2 for half a day and £4 for a full day.

“Looking at the remaining fees across the county, we feel it is reasonable and timely to increase the current fees to £4 for six hours and £8 for 12 hours,” a report had stated.

It was anticipated this would generate an extra £40,000 for the cash-strapped council.

Increasing the cost of annual and local car park permits by £5 per annum, would also bring in an extra £17,000.

Annual parking permits – which would rise from £140 to £145 per year – allow users to park in any long-stay car park in the county.

A local parking permit allows residents without a designated parking space to use a long-stay car park that is close to their homes, and is set to go from £70 to £75 per year.

Income target

“We feel these permits would continue to offer value for money after the fee increase,” A report had stated.

The committee also heard cash saving bids for 2024/25 required “further consideration before a final decision could be reached”.

It included extending parking enforcement hours at council short stay car parks, and an adjustment to long stay fee structures.

Adjusting the fee structure could see an extra £160,000 raised, while extending parking enforcement hours at council short stay car parks could make £78,000.

Parking fees, the meeting heard, had “fallen behind inflation” but increasing fees by 40% was considered “sufficient to address the expected inflation increase until the 2028-2029 financial year”.

It was “envisaged” that future fees would need to be increased by between 30% and 40%.

This would “meet an income target, that needed to be addressed by fees, from the Environment Department’s pay and display car parks”.

“But this would not need to be considered until 2028/29”, Cabinet Member for the Environment Dafydd Meurig said.

Plans included extending the enforcement hours in certain short stay car parks from 10am to 4pm – to 9am to 5pm.

De Dolgellau Councillor Linda Morgan said she had agreed with increases in tourist areas like Pen Y Gwyrd – but disagreed where rising costs would impact locals.

“Maybe we can find more car parks similar [to Pen Y Gwyrd]. Visitors plan their journey, know how much they have to pay and what’s available, the views are fantastic there, there must be other carparks like that you could go for,” she said.

She was against changing the enforcement hours to 9am until 5pm, citing Dolgellau, where she said local people needed to park to access shops and services, after the loss of bus services.

“There were 99 signatures on a petition asking for the parking in the town to go from one hour to two hours, to help local people,” she said.

“I disagreed with an increase of parking costs by 30 to 40%.

“Parking is an issue in Dolgellau, we have too many yellow lines, you are going wrong somewhere. Pen y Gwryd, yes, but when it affects local people, no.

“The rise of the permit to £145 – people just wont buy it.

“My main concern is people who can’t afford the permit, you say it is a good price, it is not for local people.”

Cllr Arwyn Herald Roberts also felt the council should “target tourist areas”.

Cllr Dafydd Meurig “understood the principal” of looking at tourist areas.

It was “easier in some places than others,” he said, and added that Dolgellau was in a “unique situation”.

“Maybe something can be done, in terms of looking at specific car parks,” he said.

Cllr Stephen Churchman said: “I think we need to be a bit more lightfooted over this.

“I accept you can’t rise fees by a few pence each time inflation goes up, but the longer you leave inflation running away, the bigger the impact on people.”

Cllr Jina Gwerfai said: “We want people to use our car parks – we want to put the people of Gwynedd first.

“Why can’t we have a minimum of two hours – so people can go for a paned?”

She also queried the rate for 24 hour overnight stays for campervans adding: “We should charge more for the tourists than locals.”

Cllr Meurig said: “I accept that it is not easy to consider an increase of 30 to 40 percent.

“The budget goes up in line with inflation, the fees are behind, and we will need eventually to catch up.”