Putin blamed for the rising cost of car parking in the UK

A survey by British Newspaper the Telegraph suggests that to cost of car parking in the UK is rising fast and in some areas by as much 100 per cent.

The report on Monday, December 5 uses data from the comparison website Your Parking Space which shows that at least 16 councils implemented price hikes over the last two months, with many more said to be considering similar increases.

Councils blame rising costs for the increase citing the war in Ukraine, inflation and climate change for the increased parking charges.

Campaigners have criticised the increases saying that none of the reasons provide hold water and that simply motorists are being milked, and at the expense of the high street.

Brian Gregory, of the Alliance of British Drivers motoring group, said: “Councils are looking for any source of income that they can find and unfortunately motorists are an easy target.

“They’ll just milk motorists for as much revenue as they possibly can.

“The more difficult you make it for people to park, the more likely it is they’ll go to some out of town retail park that doesn’t charge much for parking. It’s just strangling the high street to death.”

Among the recent increases are Leicester who are in the process of doubling their parking charges and Bath where season parking tickets will rise by as much as £200 per month.

Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, Plymouth and Winchester have all raised prices recently despite people being forced to use their vehicles due to the train strikes.

According to Springboard visitor numbers on the high street are down 12.4 per cent on pre-COVID-19 levels, and on Black Friday they were down by 15 per cent.

Your Parking Space spokesperson Harrison Woods said: “Although price rises may seem minimal at first glance, it is another rise the public is being forced to face, especially when every penny counts right now.

“The high street has been under so much pressure for so long, and the forecasts do not paint a pretty picture for the future.

“We should be supporting small businesses and enticing people back to our town centres. Unfortunately, these rises could prove to be counter productive.”

The rising cost of car parking in the UK is hitting motorists and shoppers alike, many of whom are avoiding the high street in a trend that will in the long run result in a reduction in income for councils.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article, do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.