Parking charges to be hiked in Calderdale in council bid to raise £300,000
It'll affect users of car parks in Halifax, Hebden Bridge and Brighouse.
Increasing charging times, or increasing rates, are being considered for some of Calderdale’s car parks and could raise an extra £300,000 annually for a cash-strapped council.
Senior Calderdale councillors will be asked to agree to implement some changes to tariffs and times which will affect users of car parks in Halifax, Hebden Bridge and Brighouse.
If Cabinet members agree when they meet at Halifax Town Hall from 4pm next Monday (Nov 4), some of the new charging rates or charging time extensions could be in place before Christmas, while others could take some months to appear.
As with many councils nationally, balancing the budget is an annual challenge and ways of raising revenue sought.
If approved, the proposed increases include the following.
All “mid-stay” four hour bays in Halifax – and the two-hour bay at Akroyd Place – seeing fees rise from 60p to £1 per hour.
Long stay parking bays at King Street, Cripplegate and Mulcture Hall Road, Halifax, seeing an extension of charging hours to 8pm and covering Monday to Sunday, with rates remaining at 50p per hour and capped at £3.50 (and £2.50 on Saturdays).
Long stay car parks at King Street, Mulcture Hall Road and Prescott Street, Halifax, seeing charging hours extended to 8pm, with existing hourly 50p rate and £2.50 caps remaining, but covering the whole week, Monday to Sunday.
In Hebden Bridge, all parking spaces are described in the report as “premium”.
Increasing the rates at Hebden Bridge on street short-stay one hour bays at Albert Street, Crown Street, Cheetham Street, Carlton Street and Home Street will see fees rise from 20p to £1 for the half hour rate and from 40p to £2 for the hourly rate.
In Hebden Bridge’s long stay bays at Old Gate, Hangingroyd Lane, Regent Street and Valley Road, proposals are to increase from 90p per hour to £1 per hour.
Short stay four-hour bays in Hebden Bridge at St Pol and St George’s Square car parks will see rates hiked from £1 per hour to £2 per hour.
Long stay car parks at Market Place, Garden Street, New Road and Station Road in Hebden Bridge will see a rise from 90p per hour to £1 per hour, if councillors agree.
In Brighouse, short stay pay and display one hour bays at Commercial Street, Bradford Road, King Street, Market Street, Gooder Street and Briggate will see rates rise from 20p to £1 for the half hour slots and from 40p to £2 for the one hour slots.
It is estimated the Halifax on-street changes could bring in an extra around £55,000, the Halifax off-street changes around £10,000, the Hebden Bridge on-street changes around £107,500, the Hebden Bridge off-street changes around £42,500, and the Brighouse changes around £100,000 – around £315,000 in total.
Changes would involve some costs, around £14,500, leaving a potential extra £300,000 for council coffers – money from charges is ring-fenced to spending on transport purposes, for example on roads.
The councillors are also asked to delegate authority to make future changes to parking charges to two council departmental directors and the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Regeneration and Transport.
They are also asked to approve spending £620,000 by including the amount into the council’s overall Capital Programme to allow for replacement of obsolete parking machines, recommending to the full Calderdale Council that this is funded by borrowing, with this cost in turn being met by Parking Services.