Parking review to bring Liverpool in line with other big cities

Liverpool City Council is preparing to introduce a new car parking strategy, the first major review of its kind in more than 10 years.

The new strategy will aim to encourage motorists out of their cars and onto public transport; for those continuing to drive into the city centre, new tighter enforcement will be in place to deter illegal/dangerous parking.

The increase in parking charges will now bring Liverpool’s fees into line with other similar sized cities, and is only the second rise in over a decade.

The Council currently generates the lowest net income from parking services amongst the Core Cities, achieving £3.839m in 2023/24 compared to a Core City’s average of £10.603m.

The Council controls just 28% of parking across the City, and, up till now has on average, charged 47% less than private sector car parks and other Core Cities for equivalent parking provision.

The fees increase, if approved, will be introduced from March 2025.

The Council is in the process of hiring 52 new enforcement staff to help tackle parking issues, which are a regular source of complaints from residents.

The average uplift will be:

• Multi-storey car parks: 39.69%
• Off-street car parks: 47.28%
• On-street parking bays: 57.36%

The Paddington Village multi-storey car park will have fees frozen for the first three hours, as it serves the Royal Liverpool Hospital.

A simplified tariff for Mount Pleasant and Victoria Street car parks of a 3 or 5 hour stay will be introduced, while Victoria Street will have a longer-term option of 9 – 24 hours.

Officers are exploring a refreshed charging tariff including options around weekend differential parking rates, and an emissions-based tariff to align with the Council’s Net Zero Carbon Plan, to be presented to Cabinet for consideration during 2025/26. 

Councillor Dan Barrington, Cabinet Member for Highways, said: “This is only the second increase in parking fees in over 10 years, and as a result we are now far below other cities.

“Even when the rise is taken into account, Liverpool will remain competitive compared to other large cities.

“The Council controls less than a third of parking spaces in the City, and we will still be competitive compared to private operators.

“The money that we raise from parking charges will mean we don’t have to use money from other budgets to pay for improvements, such as to parking infrastructure.

“Over the last few months we have widened the number of apps that people can use to pay for parking, and are also investing in new parking measures around the new Bramley Moore Dock stadium.

“In addition, we are recruiting more enforcement officers to tackle long-standing issues with people parking illegally, such as around schools and district centres, and we have plans to improve Mount Pleasant car park in the city centre.”

The rise in parking charges is just one in a number of initiatives, which also include a crackdown on inconsiderate parking through the recruitment of more enforcement officers, and bus lane enforcement, forecast to generate an additional £10.8 million per year. Pay and display fees will account for £3.6 million of the increase.

The Cabinet will also consider a proposal to increase discretionary fees and charges by a minimum of 5%, which will generate £6.1 million per year to help cover the increasing cost of Children’s Social Care, Adults and Homelessness.

There are some exceptions, with scaffolding/hoarding fees and street naming/numbering rising 30% and skip hire licences doubling in cost to £40.

The city currently generates the equivalent of £98.96 per head of population in 2023/24 through sales, fees and charges income – which is significantly lower than the average Core Cities of £146.06. 

Council Leader, Cllr Liam Robinson, said: “These are challenging times for all councils, particularly in dealing with inflationary pressures plus unprecedented demand for social care and homelessness.

“Fees and charges are essential to balancing our books and making a contribution to our overall budget.

“We are playing catch-up with other areas who have been regularly reviewing their charges, whereas we have not done so, and we cannot allow this situation to continue.

“The money we raise from fees and charges is reinvested, helping us to continue to provide cherished services benefiting our communities.”

ENDS