CONTROVERSIAL Sunday car parking charges look set to be introduced by Somerset Council before Christmas despite huge public opposition.

Executive councillors will meet next month to formally approve the move, which was postponed last December when a public consultation showed massive opposition to the idea.

Nearly 93 per cent of 4,200 people who responded to the consultation said they were against seven-day-a-week car park charges.

The council then spent £272,824 hiring consultants to carry out a study of its 200 car parks across the county.

Now, the results of the study have been presented to councillors who are expected to rubber stamp Sunday fees when they meet on September 23.

It will mean seven-day charging, along with increases in the tariffs, will come into force just six months before the councillors are up for re-election in May of next year.

However, a decision on introducing charges in car parks which are currently free and for some on-street parking is expected to be postponed to allow the authority to carry out ‘engagement with stakeholders’ next year.

Somerset executive Cllr Richard Wilkins said: “This is fundamentally about fairness and consistency across Somerset.

“As a unitary authority, we inherited a range of different practices in different towns.

A decision on starting to charge for free car parks such as Croft Way, in Wiveliscombe, has again been postponed by Somerset Council.
A decision on starting to charge for free car parks such as in North Street, Wiveliscombe, has again been postponed by Somerset Council. (Tindle News)

“It is only right that all our car parks are part of the same charging structure, where the same rules are applied to everybody.

“Within the different tiers there is plenty of room to accommodate different types of car park and usage, to reflect the role of each car park in supporting the local economy, including free provision for some of the time, as well as lower tariffs in less premium and more rural areas.

“Tariffs at the busier end of the spectrum in bigger centres are aimed at encouraging turnover and sustainable travel into Somerset’s towns.

“We use parking fees and charges to support local economies, help minimise the adverse environmental impacts of traffic, and support the operation of the parking service.”

Cllr Wilkins said information gathered by consultants over the past few months on all the council’s car parks where charges currently apply had been used to assess each site and put them into a new five-tiered pricing structure.

The tiers range from one for high demand car parks in town centres to four for rural/village locations which will have free parking for the first hour, and five for custom sites which do not clearly fit into the other tiers.

The executive report will first be reviewed next week by a scrutiny committee meeting on Thursday (September 3).

Although the charging tiers have been agreed in principle, formal executive approval is still needed for specific tariffs for each tier, and into which tier each car park will be put.

The council will then publish a new Off-Street Parking Places Order when there will be a 21-day statutory notice period during which objections can be registered and considered.

Consultation with town and parish councils on the future of free car parks and on-street parking is expected to start in October.