Parking charge increase causes anger

New higher charges will be in place within the Town Centre and along the promenade.

Motorists will face higher charges to park in Blackpool town centre, on the Promenade and in parts of South Shore after the council unveiled new fees.

Town hall chiefs have hiked up ticket prices at the Talbot Road and West Street multi-storey car parks, which will be in line with charges for the new multi-storey car park due to open on Central Drive and a new car park on Dickson Road.

The new rules means two hours of parking will soon cost £4.50, up from £3.50, with longer stays increasing to £12 from the previous £11 for eight hours of parking. 

Increased charges will also be introduced on the Promenade, Watson Road and Bond Street with two hours going up to £3 from £2.50.

The council said the increases were necessary to invest in improved parking. It had been decided not to introduce whole-scale increases but to focus on areas of high demand.

A report says: “The increases at Talbot Road and West Street multi-storey car parks, and a revision of tariffs for on-street parking along the Promenade, Watson Road and Bond Street will offset some of the significant costs incurred for the continued upgrade of the parking infrastructure.”

It adds: “Any wide-scale increases at this point are more likely to result in a downturn in patronage and could harm town centre trading and tourism recovery plans.”

Instead, the “proposed increases are limited to selected car parks and on-street parking areas where there is high visitor demand.”

Council leader Coun Lynn Williams recently revealed some drivers opted to risk getting a parking fine in Blackpool in order to park close to events, instead of parking legally.

However, the hike in parking fees has angered Conservative opposition councillors who warned they would hit struggling businesses.

Coun Diane Mitchell, who represents Waterloo ward, said: “This is a poor decision by the Labour-run council to increase charges yet again.

“Businesses in the Bond Street and Waterloo Road area are already struggling with difficulties around parking. This will only make the situation worse and drive business away from our brilliant local businesses, B&Bs and shops.”