Parking fees are slated to surge by up to 60% despite drivers shelling out £2 billion annually to utilize council-operated spaces, recent revelations show.

Data from the Department for Levelling Up indicates that motorists forked over £1.93 billion in fees and fines in the year up to April 2023, a notable increase from £1.76 billion the preceding year.

This uptick comes as local authorities gear up to hike parking charges this month, grappling with mounting debts and constraints on council tax hikes. Among the areas witnessing fee spikes are East Grinstead, West Sussex, where charges will soar by up to 30% in select car parks, and Kirklees in West Yorkshire, where parking fees are set to surge by a staggering 60%.

Similarly, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, will see a 29% increase, while Harrogate, North Yorkshire, braces for a 20% rise in parking fees starting April 19. Despite these hikes, Harrogate has implemented a new pricing monitoring system to prevent deterring shoppers and harming the local economy.

Dan Hubert, CEO of AppyWay, the firm behind this new system, remarked on the significance of these changes, noting that high streets have been dwindling while parking has been viewed as a lucrative revenue stream.

Furthermore, the launch of the National Parking Platform, to be adopted by some local authorities this month, promises real-time updates on parking bay usage and eliminates the need for drivers to juggle multiple parking apps for different areas.

These developments come amidst a shift away from traditional pay and display machines toward cashless alternatives like mobile apps. A recent Mail investigation unveiled the emergence of 'parking meter deserts,' leaving over two million drivers reliant on cashless options.

A poll conducted by the Mail last year underscored the hesitancy among over-65s to embrace parking apps, with over half expressing reluctance. The potential rise in parking penalties in London and ongoing public consultations highlight the contentious nature of parking policies.

In response, the Local Government Association stressed that parking revenues are channeled towards essential transport projects, emphasizing the role of parking rules in facilitating safe and efficient traffic flow. Photo by Richard Webb, Wikimedia commons.