Purpose

This report sets out proposals
to amended car parking charges for member consideration. These
amended charges will apply from the current financial year onwards,
as set out in the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) approved at
Full Council in February 2023.
 
Lichfield District Council owns
and operates 20 off-street Pay and Display and Pay on Exit Car
Parks in close proximity to Lichfield City Centre. Car parking fees
generate income for the council which is used to ensure adequate
car parking facilities for residents, visitors and businesses which
is safe, effective and easy to use.
 
Upgrades to surfaces,
machinery, electric vehicle charging points and signage have
recently been undertaken, alongside investments in new technologies
(ANPR) and payment methods, to make using our car parking areas as
user friendly as possible. Future revenue from this service will
also be invested in CCTV and lighting improvements, with a Variable
Messaging System (VMS), to direct visitors to the most suitable car
parks, due to be installed and operational in early 2024. There is
also a plan to accredit the city centre to ‘Purple
Flag’ status to ensure visitors have a positive experience
during the evening and night time economy.
 
Our most popular short-stay car
parks are over-subscribed and use of these convenient locations is
often ‘blocked’ by all day users, through this fee
change we seek to incentivise ‘long stay’ users to more
appropriate locations to ensure that ‘short stay’
capacity is available at peak times. This is achieved by increasing
the price of short-stay parking over 2 hours while reducing the
cost of long-stay car parking across the board. The introduction of
a free 30 minute option is further designed to assist residents who
use the town centre to access key services.
 
The fees have not been reviewed
for a significant period of time (c10 years). All fees are subject
to statutory consultation periods, but subject to this
consultation, will not take effect until January 2024.

Decision

·      
The Cabinet Member for High Street & Visitor Economy approved
the recommended new car park fees as outlined in paragraph 3.6,
subject to necessary consultation, and in consultation with the
Assistant Director Operations Regulation and Enforcement authorises
the necessary orders following the consultation period(s) for
implementation no earlier than 1 January 2024, to coincide with the
launch of a Variable Messaging System
 
·      
The Cabinet Member for High Street & Visitor Economy approved
that car parking fees are reviewed on an annual basis and adjusted
accordingly in line with CPI (the immediate preceding September for the forthcoming
financial year) and the corporate charging policy to the nearest
10pence.