Issue - meetings

(Cabinet Members with Special Responsibility Councillors John Gilbert and Roger Mace)

Report of the Head of Property Services.  

(Cabinet Members with Special Responsibility Councillors John Gilbert and Roger Mace)

The Head of Property Services submitted a report that gave consideration to the Annual Review of Parking Fees and Charges for 2008/09. 

The options, options analysis, including risk assessment, were set out in the report as follows: 

The following options have been put forward for consideration in light of the discussions with the Chamber Groups and the need to meet the budgetary commitments. The options are limited to minor changes rather than across the board increases in the anticipation that the additional usage previously mentioned can bemaintained. However, Cabinet needs to be aware of the risks associated with this assumption combined with relying on some tariff increases raising the required additional income and the introduction of a new tariff. The traffic and parking implications are highlighted where applicable.

Please note that an allowance for resistance has now been included in the following Pay and Display projections.

Option 1

Pay and Display – Short Stay

Public Permits

This option provides the additional tariff of Up to 4 hours that is effectively a 3 to 4 hour charge. As indicated the estimates assume 10% of existing 3 hour and Over 3 hour customers will elect to stay longer in the new Up to 4 hour category. This new tariff may attract some customers from the existing long stay Up to 5 hour category in Lancaster and this would transfer vehicles from long stay to short stay car parks. If successful, the new tariff may affect the turnover of spaces at peak periods although this may not necessarily affect income. Clearly there are risks associated with introducing a new tariff and this tariff or charge may need to be reviewed next year if there is a subsequent adverse variance.

This option also includes increasing the amended Over 4 hour tariff from £7.00 to £8.00 to discourage long stays on short stay car parks. However, this is estimated to only raise an additional £8,000.

A 5% increase in public permits is broadly in line with inflation and this reduces the level of discount offered to commuters compared with daily parking costs. However, the same level of sales is anticipated and this does not discourage further reductions in commuting and the use of long stay car parks.  

This option does not achieve the budgetary commitment with an estimated shortfall of £26,400.

Option 2

Pay and Display – Short Stay