Brighton & Hove City Council has published its tenth annual parking report, highlighting a number of major developments that have taken place in the city.
Last year’s annual report received national recognition when it was highly commended for Presentation of Finance and Statistics by the independent Parking Annual Report Review Group. The accolade followed two successive years of Brighton & Hove winning the award for Best Report.
2017/18 saw the completion of a large-scale project to replace and upgrade all of the city's pay-and-display ticket machines, with over 800 new solar-powered machines on the city’s streets. This has provided more payment choices, lower maintenance costs, and the reduction of criminal damage caused by thieves.
Following consultation with residents, five new parking zones were introduced and an existing scheme was also extended. The number of resident parking permits increased by 19% as a result of these additional zones, meanwhile, the number of Penalty Charge Notices issued fell by 8%.
Parking surplus income rose 11% to £15,209,926 and for the first time, a portion of the surplus has been allocated to highway maintenance projects such as repairing pot holes and pavements, and road resurfacing.
Thanks to a successful funding bid, 200 new electric vehicle charging points will be installed across the city next year with an initial sum of £400,000 being invested in electric vehicle infrastructure.
Chair of the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee, Councillor Gill Mitchell, said: “The annual parking report is an important way of sharing the latest parking news and developments with our residents.
“Particularly pleasing this year is the completion of a large scale project to modernise the city’s pay-and-display machines. In the next year, we look forward to installing 200 new electric vehicle charging points across the city with the aim of removing barriers to electric vehicle uptake in the city, while also helping to improve air quality.
“We are proud to have had our work recognised by the independent Parking Annual Report Review Group and will continue to provide an open and transparent service to the city’s residents and visitors."