As the government tackles soaring public debt, one of the chief ways to help it rebalance the nation’s finances during the recession is to cut back on funding to local government – the deepest cuts since the Second World War, according to some experts, ranging from 10% to 30% on current levels.

Local authorities are therefore under increasing pressure to find additional sources of income in the face of possibly having their government grants slashed by tens of millions of pounds.

Given the political pressure to keep council tax rises down, other areas will be the focus of revenue-boosting efforts, and parking has traditionally been a prime source for this.  

The revenue from parking fines as well as from on-street parking meters already contributes over £1 billion annually to town hall coffers.

Some councils, such as Westminster City, have already seen revenue from parking overtake revenue from council tax (with on-street parking bringing in £81.5 million a year, opposed to £80 million from council tax), and experts on local government anticipate other local authorities following suit.

A councillor for Westminster City Council emphasised that all the surplus income generated from parking (worth £35 million last year) is invested in transport projects. As well as increasing parking charges, councils will be looking at other measures, such as raising the rate for gas-guzzling vehicles and bringing in higher charges for leisure facilities such as swimming pools, arts centres and so on.

Councils may also try to find new services for which they could charge, such as elements of refuse collection, to encourage recycling and waste management efficiency.

Whatever other areas of local services are to face increased charges, parking is certain to be top among them, and car owners should prepare themselves for larger fines and higher parking-meter charges.  Given the additional strain this will put on their finances, drivers might deem it the right time to consider season parking tickets from private parking firms – such as 24 7 Parking – which guarantee not just a permanent, conveniently located parking space but also a fixed charge that is not subject to the changing fortunes of local government.

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News provided by 24 7 Parking Ltd, a leading marketing services provider to the car parking industry in the UK, and a leading de facto marketplace for buyers and sellers, or lessees and lessors, of car parking spaces.

24 7 Parking carries out daily surveys of the national media to provide up-to-date news and commentary on UK transport.