Outcry at Brighton and Hove parking price hikes

10:53am Wednesday 30th November 2011 in News By Tim Ridgway, Local government reporter

Parking price hikes of more than 100% affecting shoppers, traders and residents are expected to help reduce parking numbers by 15%.

Brighton and Hove City Council last night (November 29) approved to advertise a range of “outrageous” increases which will raise an extra £1.3 million a year.

The Green administration claims it is a way to reduce congestion, improve air quality and increase the use of sustainable transport.

Opposition councillors said the move would drive people away from the city and hit people at a time when they could not afford to pay more.

Counting costs

Objectors must make their comments within 21 days for the plans to be discussed at another town hall meeting.

Under plans, the cost of trader permits could rise from £350 to £750, business permits from £175 to £400 and resident permits for those in controlled areas from £108 to £115.

Weekend rates would also be introduced at city centre car parks, meaning motorists at one car park would pay up to £15 for four hours on a Saturday or Sunday – up from the current £9.50.

A “simplification” of tariffs would also mean the shortest time people can park for in restricted areas across the city is an hour, while the cost of some seafront bays would increase by more than 100%.

Other tariffs would decrease, but not many.

'Sustainable transport'

Transport cabinet member Ian Davey said: “People need access to housing, jobs and activities in the city. For some this means access to cars…but we also must encourage sustainable transport.

“Getting the balance right between these choices is not always easy.”

Conservative councillor Geoffrey Theobald said: “I’m really worried that these proposals will not raise money but actually prove to be counter-productive.

“There’s a clear message – do not come to Brighton and Hove.”

Labour and Co-op’s Gill Mitchell said: “The Green party originally proposed a congestion charge but now they are bringing this back by stealth.

“I do not believe they will achieve their environmental agenda by hard measures. They are completely outrageous.”

Transport officers at the meeting yesterday said the changes were made looking at increases in bus and cycle use in recent years, adding they were on the “assumption for 15% reduction in parking volumes”.

What do you think? Let us know by commenting below or email letters@theargus.co.uk.

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Comments(28)

mustaphaLeeko says...
11:08am Wed 30 Nov 11

Hahaha! Thanks students for voting in the Greens and look what you get, increased car parking prices for all but the few, increased council tax prices, more travellers welcomed to the city, and "everybody has to protest" so lets have a nice 99 camp in the Steine.

Brighton really has now gone to the dogs!

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mustaphaLeeko says...
11:09am Wed 30 Nov 11

mustaphaLeeko wrote:
Hahaha! Thanks students for voting in the Greens and look what you get, increased car parking prices for all but the few, increased council tax prices, more travellers welcomed to the city, and "everybody has to protest" so lets have a nice 99 camp in the Steine. Brighton really has now gone to the dogs!
oops dodgy keyboard, 99 percent not 99!

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censored says...
11:15am Wed 30 Nov 11

Insane. Without a CHEAP park and ride at the A23/A27 junction, this is simply extortion.

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Falstaff says...
11:32am Wed 30 Nov 11

So why don't the Tories and Labour band together to vote down the proposal? And vote down the 3.5% increase in council tax? The Green administration is a minority one, so the majority opposition groups should take practical action to stop these significant increases in ordinary Brightonians' and Hovites' bills at a time when their incomes are falling.

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Charismatic Andrew says...
11:48am Wed 30 Nov 11

Falstaff wrote:
So why don't the Tories and Labour band together to vote down the proposal? And vote down the 3.5% increase in council tax? The Green administration is a minority one, so the majority opposition groups should take practical action to stop these significant increases in ordinary Brightonians' and Hovites' bills at a time when their incomes are falling.
Because the Council have a 'Cabinet' system rather than a 'Committee' system. It's not as simple as 'voting down the proposal'. You can thank Labour for introducing the 'Cabinet' system.

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bug eye says...
11:57am Wed 30 Nov 11

I hope all our Conservative and Labour councillors will see this one off along with many of the other loony green ideas, dont forget student green voters that the greens will be telling you that you cannot live near the universities under new proposed legislation and that goes for any young house sharers you will be told where and where you cannot live. loony left control freaking greens. who in their right mind will come to brighton and hove to visit at these prices, no they will not come by train or coach if that is not convenient for them. good bye to the economy of the city. welcome travellers homelessness and no shops, therfore goodbye to culture and the very essence of brighton, amy kennedy is a northerner and clearly does not understand this unique city.

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pperrin says...
11:58am Wed 30 Nov 11

Falstaff wrote:
So why don't the Tories and Labour band together to vote down the proposal? And vote down the 3.5% increase in council tax? The Green administration is a minority one, so the majority opposition groups should take practical action to stop these significant increases in ordinary Brightonians' and Hovites' bills at a time when their incomes are falling.
Indeed.

If Elected in Westbourne on Dec 22nd, I will (as always) put people fist - not bogus ideology like the greens, or simple party advantage like the conservatives and labour.

Brighton needs successful businesses and the city's residents need access to them - it all starts with ensuring residents have money to spend locally, and that means the council not fleecing them at every opportunity.

I would push for residents to be given access to some free parking - to make the city's facilities available to all and to boost local business - keeping money in the local economy.

Paul Perrin - UKIP candidate for Westbourne

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Bob_The_Ferret says...
11:59am Wed 30 Nov 11

Is that the sound of pips squeaking I hear? The real 99% will remember who did this to them.

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deve says...
12:08pm Wed 30 Nov 11

Voter apathy caused this. If people care enough to complain about the Greens and the council tax rise, car parking rises, tolerance of travelers and climate camp, then I hope you know by not voting at the last election you helped to get the Greens elected. We can only hope at the next election people care enough about their city to make their vote count and change this backward looking Green party led council.

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thump3s says...
12:13pm Wed 30 Nov 11

This is ludicrous, I wouldn't mind if they did this at the same time as providing improvements or viable alternatives.

I sometimes wonder if Roger French has far too much say in this city's affairs.

We are not London - we do not have tubes, and regardless of what Roger would like you to think our bus service is not comparable to bigger cities overall transport systems.

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Joshiman says...
12:14pm Wed 30 Nov 11

Naive students/campers/ben
efit fraudsters/middle class trendies.Look what you have done to our once great city.Thanks!

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tomrees8 says...
1:16pm Wed 30 Nov 11

1. There are too many cars in Brigthon and Hove, and the problem is getting worse.
2. The council needs to raise money from somewhere.
3. The obvious solution is to give a larger financial incentive to people who don't use cars - even car owners benefit (and I'm a car owner), because there will be more space for them to drive and park.

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MediumRare says...
1:37pm Wed 30 Nov 11

Joshiman wrote:
Naive students/campers/ben

efit fraudsters/middle class trendies.Look what you have done to our once great city.Thanks!
The Greens would have you believe they are all for social justice but none of the wards in this city that actually need it voted for them.

Once again this is going to hit the working poor the hardest. People who need their car to commute to work or who do a job that is peripatetic in nature. You won't find too many students with cars (or paying council tax for that matter). They think they are so cool voting Green yet they've voted with their wallet like any good Tory Boy.

George Osborne's Autumn statement yesterday made it clear the nasty party are going to keep tipping people upside down till the last penny falls out of their pockets. When they're done the Green vultures will move in and start pecking at the bones.

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deltaP says...
1:45pm Wed 30 Nov 11

So increasing parking costs will reduce pollution will it? Whether some like it or not, the car is here to stay so apart banning it altogether from town centres, the only other option is to ensure traffic flows properly instead of sitting in jams all day long. The traffic light system currently in place merely moves cars from one queue to another and then lets them sit there chugging out fumes, almost always right where they are least wanted. Talking of which, just why is it that we have so many road works around town causing untold congestion and therefore pollution? Why is it not a strict requirement that road works on all the most critical roads in town are to be carried out on a 24 hour basis, with the contractor paying a huge penalty fee for any over-runs?

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Maxwell's Ghost says...
1:49pm Wed 30 Nov 11

bug eye is talking nonsense and has failed to declare an interest in that he is a landlord who is clearly concerned that his buy-to-let property may be more difficult to let now the unis are applying for permission to build halls in the city.
He keeps saying that students cannot live near the unis. The campus are all over the city now not just Falmer/Lewes Road so it does not matter where they live. Also the students have a fixed monthly bus pass and the price is the same no matter how far they travel and most want to live in the centre of town near the pubs and clubs, not near the uni. Also the uni websites clearly state that attendance at the uni is about one hour a week with most contact carried out online so there is no need to even live in the city or county.
Students are not being banned from living where they wish, they can rent a room/property as freely as anyone else can do via any letting agency/newspaper ad, anywhere in the city.
What the council is trying to do is prevent even more family homes being converted into wholly let student housing which has proven to have a negative effect on communities, generating a huge increase in work for the police and the council's EH team. In some areas the school rolls have been impacted, doctors surgeries etc in the same way other towns in the UK have been impacted by large groups of migrants from the EU.
When a house is let wholly to students, the landlord and tenants are NOT liable for council tax so the more homes which are let this way, the less council tax the city has in the pot, although these businesses are still receiving services which are paid for by the remaining council tax payers. Also these homes are only let for ten months of the year and lay empty for up to two months, wasting accommodation. They rarely come back onto the market, thereforee pushing out families from getting onto the affordable housing ladder.
There is nothing wrong with letting homes, but they are businesses and someone needs to pay tax on them in the same way the city's hairdressers, cafes and other businesses pay business rates and council tax.
It's unfair that the city's residents are paying to run your business and don't start bleatng that you don't make much money, as you choose to run the business and if it doesn't pay, then get out of it.

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Uncle_Meat says...
3:28pm Wed 30 Nov 11

Isn't it now cheaper to get a parking ticket (and hence park where you like) rather than pay for a full days parking in Brighton?!
Of course, my plan falls apart if they then tow you away... :-)

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revyforme says...
3:28pm Wed 30 Nov 11

like previous comments,I too was stupid enough to vote for the the Greens or as they should now be known as the WET BEHIND THE EARS,who are in the process of destroying the last of the holiday visitors by car to the city by penalizing them with extortionate proposed parking charges & weekend charges to boot to make sure that even city residents shop elsewhere like me

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rashidk says...
4:44pm Wed 30 Nov 11

People use their cars mainly because of the convenience which has a price; for various reasons, car owners have so far been heavily subsidised so that when, as now, they're being asked to pay a realistic price for their convenience, they become ignorantly abusive. Whatever else, the Green party is beholden to no vested interest and this clearly enrages those who resent this more equitable approach to our city's traffic problems.

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Ted-Kelly1 says...
5:53pm Wed 30 Nov 11

Did you not know, that by voting the Greens in you would get lots of 'Outrageous'? I remember when parking-meters were introduced we were solemly assured that the money raised would only be used for controlling, and increasing parking facilties and improving roads. Nobody really believed this for one moment. That good intention was dropped before the first 'Meter Maids' had been recruited. But what really takes the cake, is charging for parking on Sundays in residential streets, up till 8pm! What possible excuse is there for that? It means that, whenever I drive into Hove from Shoreham to visit my elder brother, it costs me an extra £1.60; and before you mention buses, the 700 service is notoriously erratic and there would be about a kilometre walk either way in Hove. Oh, by the way, motorists in this country have never been subsidised, let alone heavily. That is as breath-takingly mistaken as saying that, when mortgage-payers were given a small tax break, they were subsidised by council tenents!

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BrightonHoveboy says...
7:44pm Wed 30 Nov 11

The councillors are just being very green-behind the ears. Yes they may raise more money, but only if people come into the town. People - excepting bankers and politicians- have no spare money. It is cheaper to go to Crawley, Eastbourne, Worthing or Chichester and that is what people will do. Hey presto- congestion eased. Oh, and no people spending with our local industry. Brighton will become a home of protesters, travellers and paupers.

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binge says...
8:12pm Wed 30 Nov 11

The shops in other nearby towns will be delighted!!

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Maxwell's Ghost says...
8:17pm Wed 30 Nov 11

Most of the Green councillors live in nice houses and flats in the central wards where they can potter about town like they are in a 1920s English village, they don't give two hoots about people on the outskirts, Mile Oak, Portslade or Patcham. To the Greens the city is about one square mile.
You lot can jolly well pay extra for parking in your town.

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spanner49 says...
8:37pm Wed 30 Nov 11

what a ridiculous thing to try and implement, as a trader it is hard enough to make a living as it is , by doubling the cost of the permits this will add to our overheads which will have to be passed on to the customers . possibly this cost will be restrictive to some and will stop them from working within the areas that require permit parking. ABSOLUTE JOKE.

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hovelawns says...
9:19pm Wed 30 Nov 11

what a ridiculous state of affairs. talk about bite the hand that feeds you. we need some EU human rights here for the residents and business owners to fight back against these idiot green councillors. how much does it cost to park in the HUGE car parks of the council offices? What is going to happen with the palatial building called Kings House which BELONGS TO THE RATEPAYERS - evict the council from these offices ... that will reduce huge volumes of traffic and free up enormous parking for the residents.

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Maxwell's Ghost says...
10:11pm Wed 30 Nov 11

The Argus should now start looking at the travel expense claims of the Green councillors and Caroline Lucas.
Let's see where they live and how they travel.
I bet it would make interesting reading.
Come on Argus do some local news reporting.
A little map of where they live with a nice graphic of a receipt listing where they have travelled and how.
It could make a lovely feature.

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Greenlover says...
7:31pm Thu 1 Dec 11

finally a real council who cares bout people rather than car drivers ride bike or bus ban all cars now well done caroline & jason good on yer

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hovelawns says...
6:16pm Fri 2 Dec 11

thats all very well if you only ever have to go local - i walk or bus everywhere in B&H - people have a car for longer journeys. if you want to use extortion to stop cars coming into the town (to spend money and pay the business rates for your idealistic fantasy) you have to provide a proper and realistic park and ride service .... there is none, and if there was you can bet it wouldn't run when most people want it.

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kdenyer says...
5:32pm Sat 3 Dec 11

as a busniess owner in the hove area where my trade is repairing cars some time we can have between 5 -10 cars being repaired, some in the garage some in the road with tickets on if this plan goes a head there is no way we can cope with the increase in the daily parking our customer will go somewhere else where parking is not an issue, yes you might say increase your hourly rate but why should we when the customers are stuggling as they are this is just not fair on us trying to earn and honest living, i am sure we will either have to lay off staff or close down thanks a bunch green party

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