Hi, is it fair do you think for residents to pay the same amount in car parking charges as visitors?

That's a tricky one!

Your council tax would probably go up when the council calculates the cost of free residents parking - and there would be a cost, as every parking spot taken by a 'non paying' resident would be a spot not taken by a paying tourist. The blanket CT hike would unfairly penalise people who took public transport or could cycle / walk too.

On the other hand, if the costs are passed on to the tourists (e.g. double the charge for tourists so residents park free) then fewer tourists may visit and town would lose tourism income and so jobs, leading to lower CT income and higher bills for those still with jobs anyway.

I do see your point about residents getting something for their council tax, but I guess it depends on how well the council runs its budget!

Interesting idea. I hadn't really thought about it, but I can't deny I'd rather not pay to park in my local car parks.

G-Man is quite right - if local resident parking became free, the council would have the get the money from elsewhere.

It is fair as you get the same facility if you go to your local chippy do you expect a discount because you live local or cheaper petrol at your local garage I dont think so///

In the Canaries, local residents are afforded a discount on local prices in shops against the prices charged for tourists. They are given a local resident card and this can mean a discount of 10% - 15% on the prices paid in supermarkets and some restaurants although this does not discount alcohol.

Local residents are more likely to contribute on a continual basis and not just seasonally to the local economy and pay their council tax locally.

Areas in London have local residents parking permits, which are applied for on an annual basis, these allow you to park on specific residential roads in over populated areas. I cannot see why this scheme could not be implemented in your case, which permits you to park in local car parks either for free out of season or at a subsidised amount during peak times.

Hi Lillie

I would love not to pay parking charges for my local town, however I know that the money raised from these charges help to maintain and lit the car parks and to pay parking attendance wages. I do feel that parking charges should be reasonable and that council should have to account for every penny of the charge to prove that it needs to be that high! Parking charges vary considerably from town to town so I think that parking charges shouldn't just be plucked out of thin air.

I do sympathise, Lillie, I live a few miles out from one of the most popular tourist cities in the UK, a city which is short on parking spaces but which has high parking charges. I pay my council tax to this city council, in fact we pay a higher council tax than even the residents of the city pay! Not only does it seem unfair, but even if we are prepared to pay the charges, it's almost impossible to find a space. The council's answer is to provide us with a Park and Ride service. This is fine in theory, and much cheaper than parking in the city...BUT...as that's where the jobs are, it's almost impossible to find a space in the P&R as most of the locals have to use it just to get to and from work! The only concession we locals get from the council is free admission to the city tourist attractions, invaluable...NOT!!! And, the city's tourist season is all the year round, so even Christmas shopping is a nightmare!

I work for a local authority and the beauty here is that there are no council car parking charges anywhere within the district ( the only exception are a few 'in season' tourist spots ). We have always said that charging for parking would reduce or stabilise council taxes but free parking is an ethos of this council. MY view is that if we did start charging, it would decimate people that come to shop in the local towns. Outside my local authority area, car parking fees are horrific but to be fair there is always somewhere to park. MY view is that parking is parking is parking, visitor or not. Every motorist has a need to park and yes, paying a charge is always a penalty. But we have plenty of out of town shopping centres where parking is free, albeit restricted in time. The main problem with income generation from parking is once it's there, it's hard to get rid of. Agreed it's a penalty and more often than not a stress ... having the right money and making sure you get back on time. I remember a few years ago parking in Bournemouth for a day that cost me £8. Admittedly I didn't know that until I got there but it would, in every way, stop me going again. But my view is that for routine provision shopping, it should always be free and with most big supermarkets, it generally is.

It depends I suppose. If parking was free for residents I can imagine the council would hike the price for non-residents. The downside being that this could put people off visiting the town in favour of visiting somewhere cheaper. Also, if local residents were encouraged to park in town carparks instead of finding free spaces (as I can imagine they do at present) then there would be fewer spots for tourists - again, this would be a bad thing for the town's economy in general. I guess there's also an issue with where you draw the line between locals and non-locals.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that while it's a nice idea in theory I'm not sure it would work.

Sorry Lillie but I don't see why local residents should pay less than tourists for visiting a particular town. If you live in an area that is a renowned tourist spot there is a reason for that and you no doubt benefit from the beauty of the area that you have chosen to live in on a daily basis. Yes tourists will want to visit too and I don't think they should have to pay extra for the privilege as they are undoubtedly bringing in much needed cash to the town by the money they spend whilst they are visiting.
I don't think £1.20 is over the odds to pay for (I am assuming) an hours parking. This is what it generally costs to park for an hour in the city that I live in. Fortunately I live within walking distance and have walked on numerous occasions providing I don't have a great deal of heavy shopping to carry. I am also fortunate that I have a lot of local options for shopping outside the city centre where the parking is free and it is very rare that I have to go into the city for shopping nowadays.
It is highly unlikely that your local council would give you a reduction on your bill or provide you with a permit and I think the money it would cost to implement such a scheme would just not be considered.