Revealed: Councils are hiking car parking prices by up to 54% next year with Hertfordshire, the New Forest and Southampton seeing the sharpest increases - how does YOUR area fare?
Councils across the UK are hiking charges for car parking in a bid to balance the books for their deteriorating budgets.
Local authorities across England have proposed a slate of increased fees for the new year which they claim are needed to help bolster their finances after the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the cost of living crisis.
In some areas, locals could be forced to pay 50 per cent or more than the current hourly rate, which is expected to exasperate families who are already feeling the burden of soaring food costs and energy bills.
Businesses are also worried about the impact it will have on their highstreets and fear increased parking prices would drive tourist revenue down.
MailOnline has put together a graphic below showing some of the areas that will see the worst price increases. Have a look to see how your area fares.
Council across the UK are hiking charges for car parking in a bid to balance the books for their deteriorating budgets
Parking for five hours at the Elm Road car park in East Hertfordshire (pictured) is set to cost 54 per cent more at £3.70 when it used to be just £2.40
Whitstable has seen one of the biggest rise in prices compared to other towns across the UK, with the local council having proposed more than doubling the rate of some of its car parks.
The town's largest car park, Gorrell Tank car park which can hold up around 250 cars, currently costs £3.10 an hour between April and September.
This is used to cash in on tourism in the coastside town during summer, but is just less than half this price the rest of the year at £1.60.
However, under the Canterbury City Council's new plans, the hourly rate is set to be increased to £3.70 throughout the year, 130% more than the current charge.
This would eliminate any relief for locals who would usually not have had to worry about overbearing charges during the off-season.
Dawn Hackett, 59, who owns a specialist cheese shop, The Cheese Box, in Whitstable Harbour, is fearful that her business could fall through under the new changes.
She told KentOnline: 'If this policy goes ahead my shop won't survive, none us will survive.
'People know when they are being fleeced and ripped off and they think that Whitstable is doing it, but we're not doing it, Canterbury City Council is doing it.
'The amount of money Canterbury has taken from us is ludicrous - they've raised parking higher and higher and they have constantly pillaged the town to pay for thir own prospects.'
Whitstable's largest car park, Gorrell Tank car park (pictured) which can hold up around 250 cars, currently costs £3.10 an hour between April and September
In East Hertfordshire motorists are also facing a huge rise in costs for parking where the council is looking to increase prices in some car parks in the town centre by more than 50 per cent.
It claimed the move will to disuede commuters from using the spaces for work and this in turn would reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality in the area.
The proposals call for all day charges, which allows people to park from 7.30am to 8pm, at the Apton Road and Basbow Lane car parks to be increased from £5.20 to £6.50.
A five hour parking charge at these sites will also be increased from £3.60 to £4.60. All other charges at the two car parks will also rise by approximately 6.7 per cent, in line with inflation
Meanwhile, the all day charge at Elm Road will increase by 17 per cent, from £3.60 to £4.20. Parking for five hours at the car park will also now cost 54 per cent more at £3.70 when it used to be just £2.40.
Councillor Tim Hoskin, East Herts Executive Member for Sustainability, said shoppers 'often find it difficult to find a space' at town centre car parks as they are taken up by 'long-stay parkers' and are forced to drive around the town in search of a space.
He added: 'This increased traffic movement results in congestion, adds to air pollution and makes the town centre a less appealing place to visit.
'The steps we are taking are designed specifically to mitigate against this and to encourage long-stay parkers to use Northgate End. We will, of course, monitor the impact of the new charging structure carefully.'
In Colchester, prices have seen a 'modest rise' according to the local council, who is proposing to increase charges of up to 37.5 per cent.
At Butt Road day rate car park fees are set to rise from £3 to £3.80 on all days, while at Napier Road car park the same fee will also increase to £3.80 but only on Monday to Saturday. It will cost a bit less at £3.30 on Sundays.
The council is also taking away four hour fees for both sites, which used to cost just £1.50 for both car parks.
At Butt Road car park in Colchester day rate fees are set to rise from £3 to £3.80 on all days
Cllr Mark Cory, Portfolio Holder for Resources at Colchester City Council said: 'We recognise that any increase in fees and charges can be a strain on residents and businesses, but it is essential that the council balances the books to provide all of the vital services.
'Councils across the country are failing. Colchester City Council is not in the same place, because we have taken the tough decisions and spread the burden of costs.
'We have carefully considered the impact of these increases and have taken steps to ensure that they are fair and equitable and will not have a disproportionate impact on low-income households.
'These proposed increases are essential to maintain the high-quality services that our community depends on.'
Further north, in the Midlands, prices are also on the up, with as much as a 36 per cent increase in hourly pay and display charges set to be introduced in Warwickshire.
On-street charges will impact thousands of locals living in Leamington, Warwick, Kenilworth, Stratford and Rugby and are proposed to come into effect from March 1 2024.
Warwickshire City Council claims the move will bring prices more in line with those recommended by the Department for Transport (DfT) and will also 'ensure consistency across the county'.
It has proposed increasing the price to park for one hour to increase from £1.10 to £1.40, while one and a half hours of parking will cost £2.10, up from £1.65.
Two hours of parking will set drivers back £2.80, an extra 60p more than the current £2.20 fee.
It is the first time the prices have been increased since 2018, with the council claiming it will minimisr 'on-street congestion caused by vehicles searching for spaces and supporting environmental benefits'.
A one hour stay at Marlands MSCP car park in Southampton (pictured) will increase by 50 per cent from £1 to £1.50, while a two hour stay at the same site will rise from £2.00 to £2.80
Further south, in the New Forest, the local council is also targetting local drivers, in what is its first fee increase in six years.
New Forest District Council is set to increase prices at all of its 44 car parks in its jurisidiction with nearly all rates increasing by either a pound or more.
The cost of parking for two hours at 30 of its town and village centre car parks, which are open all year, will double from £1 to £2 from January.
A three hour stay currently costs £2.50, which is proposed to increase to £3.50 and a four hour stay will also rise from £3.00 to £4.00.
Those looking to utilize a long stay will face more than a 50 per cent increase, with parking rates for 20 hours increasing from £5.00 to £8.00.
Southampton is also set to increase its rates for the first time in 10 years, with some tariffs for off-street and on-street parking set to rise by up to 66 per cent.
Thirty minutes of parking at Albion Place has seen the biggest percentage increase, going from 60p to £1. A one hour stay will also now cost £2, up from £1.60, while a three hour stay has increased by 60p to £3.60.
A one hour stay at Marlands MSCP car park will increase by 50 per cent from £1 to £1.50, while a two hour stay at the same site will rise from £2.00 to £2.80.
Councillor Eamonn Keogh, who is the cabinet member for transport, described the increases as 'fair and proportionate' and still provide a 'very competitive offer for those wanting to park in the city centre', according to the Daily Echo.
However, Councillor Jeremy Moulton, deputy leader of the Conservative group, who was opposed to the plans, said that the hikes threaten the 'city centre economy and jobs'.
He said: 'Labour's anti motorist parking hikes threaten the city centre economy and jobs, as some people will go out of town in the evening.
'There is also a risk for the council that people will park in cheaper private car parks like Westquay and this won't bring in the income they are seeking to fill the coffers after their years of reckless spending.'
