Figures revealed through a Freedom of Information request show that South Lakeland’s Liberal Democrat District Council is planning to rake in an extra £365,000 in car parking fees over the next four years – an 8 per cent increase.
In Kendal alone, where the council has closed the town’s only free car park in the face of public opposition, the authority expects to take in an additional £106,000 in parking charges.
The news comes just days after it was revealed that the authority has almost £7 million in unspent cash reserves – equivalent to more than 50 per cent of its annual £13 million net revenue budget.
The new figures on the authority’s parking ticket pay-day, follow the revelation earlier this year that the council took in more than £4 million in parking charges in 2016/17 – with more than £36,000 of this because it chose to purchase expensive new ticket machines that do not give change.
Councillor Tom Harvey, said: “The high street in many towns and villages is already under pressure and higher parking charges could well have an adverse effect on these important local businesses which are so often vital to our communities.
“The council needs to recognise that growing its income depends on a thriving local economy and low-cost, accessible parking, not knee-jerk cash grabs from hard-working local drivers.”
In response to a Freedom of Information request, South Lakeland District Council, provided the following information on projected car parking revenues for South Lakeland and Kendal:
South Lakeland car parking
2017/18 - £4180900
2018/19 - £4285200
2019/20 - £4372200
2020/21 - £4458300
2021/22 - £4546200
Total extra revenue - £365,300
Kendal car parking
2017/18 - £1263430
2018/19 - £1290829
2019/20 - £1317113
2020/21 - £1343141
2021/22 - £1369691
Total extra revenue - £106,261