Locals slam council's 'greed' over plans to quadruple parking fees

Locals slam council’s ‘shocking greed’ after unveiling plans to hike car parking charges by up to four times at popular seaside resort

• Parking fees in Brighton and Hove are set to jump from £1.40 to £5.60 an hour
• Locals hit out at the hikes as they accused town hall bosses of ‘daylight robbery’ 

A popular seaside resort has been blasted after town hall bosses unveiled plans to hike car parking charges but up to four times.

Parking close to the seafront in Brighton and Hove is to rise from £1.40 an hour to a whopping £5.60 an hour.

Residents have accused town hall bosses of ‘daylight robbery’ and ‘shocking greed’ in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.

They say the rises are ‘abhorrent profiteering’ that will leave the disabled, elderly and less wealthy people unable to enjoy the resort.

Parking charges across the city are set to rise steeply with parks, attractions and the seafront among the worst-affected areas.

Parking fees in some areas of Brighton and Hove are set to be hiked from £1.40 an hour to £5.60 an hour (File photo: Brighton seafront) 

Parking fees around the Royal Sussex County Hospital will jump from £7.60 a day to £22.70

The hikes will see parking fees increase by different amounts across Brighton and Hove on an area-by-area basis. 

In some cases, fees will be lifted by around 10p for an hour, going from £1.40 to £.150, while in others fees will be hiked four times to rates of £5.60 hour. 

The hikes will see parking along the Brunswick and Adelaide seafront area jump from £1.40 an hour to £5.60 an hour. 

Parking in Kemp Town and Hospital Area will also triple with daily rates set to jump to heights of more than £20 a day. 

Doctors, nurses and support staff at the Royal Sussex County Hospital will see their parking charges rise from £7.60 a day to £22.70.

Drivers claim the plans – drawn up by the previous Green administration – are part of war against motorists.

The controversial council is already under fire for closing almost all the city’s public toilets.

Janine Edwards, 45, said: ‘This is the latest example of daylight robbery by the council. So many disabled and elderly people simply won’t be able to afford to go out.

‘The rise is absolutely massive. It’s abhorrent profiteering. Why can’t they just put charges up by inflation? It is do unfair.’

Locals hit out at the parking fee hikes as they described it as ‘daylight’ robbery and called for a ‘revolution’. Pictured: Regency Square, Hove

Parking fees in some areas of Brighton and Hove will be increased four times over from £1.40 an hour to £5.60 an hour

Sarah Venables, 28, a disabled resident, said: ‘Not everyone is able to use public transport or cycle. 

‘As a disabled person, not eligible for an electric wheelchair, I have a mobility car and can’t get around without it. Now it will just have to stay parked at home.’

READ MORE: The most expensive council car parks in Britain: The local authorities milking the most from ‘cash cow’ drivers – with Manchester motorists paying £5-a-hour to leave their vehicles in the city

Our study also revealed a dramatic variation in prices between councils, with some authorities charging motorists more than three times the rate of others

In some areas parking for just four hours will go from £5.50 to £15.70 and for 11 hours from £7.60 to £22.70.

One resident said: ‘How the hell can this be allowed? We’re all being used as cash cows by the council. 

‘There should be a mass refusal to pay either the charges or the fines that follow. We need a revolution.’

Eamonn McCabe, 62, said: ‘This is just a tax by the council and a way of ripping us off to balance their irresponsible spending.’

The charges are due to be brought in overnight on July 17 in time for the summer holidays.

The charges are the latest step in cutting traffic from the resort.

The local authority also came under fire earlier this year after unveiling plans to remove all coin-operated pay and display machines in favour of app-only machines.

Residents say it will unduly impact on the elderly and people who can’t afford smart phones.

Last month the Green administration was all but wiped out in the local elections over dissatisfaction over the way the have run the council.

Residents cited the Greens preference for prioritising costly eco-policies over improving bin collection, maintaining the roads and keeping the city clean.

Brighton and Hove City Council leader Belly Sankey said: ‘Today we’re announcing a review of all planned changes to parking fees and charges due to be introduced next month.

Locals said the fee hikes will unduly impact those unable to use public transport as the UK suffers from a cost-of-living crisis

‘This is with a view to taking a long term, strategic approach to parking pricing in the city taking into account income projections for the year ahead.

‘While we need to work carefully to balance the council’s budget, we must also recognise people’s concerns about price rises during this cost of living crisis.

‘In particular we want to ensure patients, carers and staff have affordable access to our hospitals and other important services within the city.’

Source: Read Full Article