Shropshire parking charge increases defended as new rates are confirmed

The authority says the changes will provide £1.7m of extra money to repair the county’s car parks, which “have not kept pace” with required maintenance.

In Shrewsbury, parking charges will rise from £2.80 to £3.60 at on-street locations, with rises from £2 to £2.80 at council car parks including Bridge Street, St Austin’s and the Quarry, with charging hours extended to 8pm. Sundays and Bank Holidays would also be charged at the full rate under the proposals.

Elsewhere in the county fees rise from £1.20 to £1.40 in Ellesmere, Bridgnorth, Ludlow and Oswestry and a host of council owned car parks in smaller Shropshire towns will rise by 20p.

Cabinet highways member Councillor Dan Morris said he understood the rises would not be popular, but would provide funds to allow the authority to maintain its car parks.

“I don’t feel particularly popular today, but I would ask that the report is seen in the context of the extra money that the council has to raise in 2025 following the £45m that we look likely to achieve this year,” he said.

“None of us go into politics to increase costs and make things more expensive but the increase in parking charges I believe are necessary.

“The changes aim to encourage people to change car and parking behaviour, they aim to raise additional income for spending on the maintenance of car parks, and increase the human resource that we have on the parking team.”

The report delivered to cabinet said the extra cash would be used to “implement a programme of works to repair and improve the car park infrastructure” as well as developing residents parking zones in Shrewsbury town centre.

But opposition leaders criticised the move, with Liberal Democrat leader Councillor Roger Evans saying he felt it was going to have an economic impact on Shrewsbury’s evening economy.

“I would remind members there’s no park and ride after 6pm, and you’re proposing to charge until 8pm,” he said.

“Anybody coming into Shrewsbury for an early meal or anything like this is now going to be paying parking charges. If we’ve got a movement strategy and we’ve got a vision for Shrewsbury then part of it is economic. The businesses, to have this coming down on people visiting Shrewsbury is a little bit too much.”

Labour group leader Councillor Julia Buckley said the exclusion of council-owned Raven Meadows from the increases ran contrary to the council’s policy to encourage people to park outside the town.

“We have a policy to have the highest cost in the centre and gradually reduce the cost of parking the further out of the centre you go to incentive people parking out of the town and walking and using active travel. These increases are the absolute opposite of this strategy,” she said.