Car park charges could rise by more than a hundred per cent to offset an £800,000 shortfall in parking revenue, Wokingham Borough Council has announced. 

Charges haven’t increased since 2018, but the council is now facing “unprecedented financial pressure” due to inflation and spiralling energy costs. 

Council leader Cllr Clive Jones said all services are “under pressure” and the local authority is looking to see where it can “raise more revenue”. 

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"We know these proposed increases won't prove popular, particularly when there's pressure on all kinds of living costs, but our parking fees have been exceptionally low for a long time and we can't afford to keep them where they are. 

“We need to do this to ensure we have enough to protect the most vulnerable in our community,” Cllr Jones said. 

The council's decision-making executive will discuss a proposed increase in car park charges “to ensure” it can sustain highway services “without impacting on other areas”. 

If the proposals go ahead, most hourly rate charges will increase by more than double, with the charging period also being extended from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday, to between 6am and 10pm. 

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Parking for up to one-hour would go from 80p to £1.30 (62.5 per cent rise), however, up to two hours would go from £1.20 to £2.50 (108 per cent rise), up to four hours from £2 to £4.50 (125 per cent rise), up to six hours from £3 to £6.50 (117 per cent rise), and over six hours from £4 to £9 (125 per cent rise). 

Season tickets charges for one month would go from £82.23 to £168.50 (105 per cent rise), for three months from £240.35 to £506.50 (111 per cent rise), for six months from £450.34 to £1,013 (125 per cent rise) and for 12 months, from £900.68 to £2,026 (125 per cent rise).  

The change would bring the borough's charges in line with similar authorities across the South-East and they would remain cheaper than some car parks in neighbouring areas including Bracknell Forest, Windsor & Maidenhead, Reading and Basingstoke.   

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Executive member for active travel, transport and highways, Cllr Paul Fishwick, said the plan wouldn’t bring any extra money into the council it would just “offset inflation and the impact of the pandemic”. 

“Residents expect their roads and footways to be surfaced and maintained to a high standard but we can only keep it up if we've got the money - and with our car parking fees set so low and fewer people using car parks, we just don't have the income we need,” he added.