New charges are being proposed for parking permits in Liverpool.
The city council is putting forward plans to create a fairer system which will allow it to carry on with its existing residents parking schemes.
Liverpool City Council will begin public consultation on the proposed new charges on 9 October 2014. There will be a number of consultations and the first phase focuses on parking around Anfield and Goodison Park stadiums (Football Matchday Parking Zone).
Operating permit schemes costs the council in the region of £850k a year and the new charges aim to help the city council make the most of limited resources by contributing to the costs of running, maintaining and administering schemes in the future.
The charges also aim to respond to increasing demand for residents’ parking spaces by helping reduce the number of vehicles parked on-street, making it easier for residents to find a parking place, reducing congestion and improving road safety.
The introduction of charges is in line with other local authorities. Of the seven other major English cities outside London, five already charge for residents’ permits with the charges ranging from free to £750.
Under the proposals the following new charges and permits would be introduced:
• Residents permits – each household will get their first permit for free, with charges for a second permit (£40 per year), a third permit (£60 per year) and fourth and further permits (£100 per year).
• Visitor permits – £40-a-year charge will be introduced for visitor permits, limited to one per household. This will be free if no resident permit has been applied for.
• Business permits – businesses that regularly require a vehicle can apply for one business permit which will cost £50 a year.
• Trade permits – new, temporary permits will be introduced to allow contractors and other traders to park in residents bays outside the city centre. A daily permit will be £6 and a weekly permit £35.
• Landlord’s permit – a new permit for landlords who regularly need to visit their properties within residents’ parking schemes outside the city centre. This permit is already in use in other parts of the city and is being rolled out. A new charge of £50 will apply.
• Relocation permit – a new permit, it aims to resolve difficulties residents face when first moving into a property within a parking permits zone. The temporary permit will be valid for one month and will cost £50.
Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Transport Councillor Malcolm Kennedy, said: “It’s been a number of years since we have made changes to parking permits, but faced with having to make a further £156m of cuts, we need to do things differently if we want to continue running and enforcing schemes efficiently.
“The city council heavily subsidises reserved parking places and we need to make sure these schemes start to pay for themselves. We think, by providing the first permit for free for residents, and then introducing charges to people who want further permits we can deliver a fairer system and make it easier for residents, and their visitors, to find a parking place near to their home.”
In addition to the new charges for permits, football parking zones will also see the introduction of additional charges. The on-street ‘free’ bays around Anfield and Goodison Park stadiums will be converted into ‘pay by phone’ bays.
People who wish to park in these bays during the football season will be required to pay a charge of £6, using their mobile phone. The charge will also apply to residents, visitors and businesses who wish to park in these bays.
Councillor Kennedy added: “The introduction of new charges for on-street football parking is another way in which we are trying to make our parking schemes safer and improve traffic management.
“We know the build-up of vehicles in residential areas, with fans driving up and down streets looking for parking spaces on match days causes major frustrations for local people, and these proposed changes would play an important part in tackling this problem.
“These proposals are not connected in any way with football stadium developments. It is something we have been considering for some time and we will also be consulting in other residents parking zones.”
The new charging model for permits forms part of a major city-wide review of the city’s parking operations, which saw the cost of parking at city centre pay-and-display bays cut by almost 10 per cent in 2012, with an even bigger reduction at Mount Pleasant car park. Maximum parking times at city centre pay and display bays were also increased from two hours to four.
Details on consultations in the other residents parking schemes will be released in the near future.
