Changes to parking charges introduced this week
New parking charges will be introduced this week.
As part of a number of changes agreed at Budget Council back in February of this year, the increases will apply to on-street parking charges.
The changes will appear on the PayByPhone parking app from Monday 30 October.
Changes to parking charges at Stanmer Park, East Brighton and Preston Park car parks will be introduced from Friday 3 November.
However, bigger increases in four areas of the city won’t be going ahead.
Earlier this month, councillors agreed to reverse plans to change four areas from a Low to High Tariff. This included Controlled Parking Zone H near the Royal Sussex County Hospital.
The changes to low and high tariffs are outlined below.
Low tariff changes (Zones A ,C, E, F, G ,I, J, K, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W & 10)
| Duration | Previous cost | New cost |
| 1 hour | £1.40 | £1.50 |
| 2 hours | £2.80 | £3.10 |
| 4 hours | £5.50 | £6.10 |
| 11 hours | £7.60 | £8.40 |
Low Tariff Rottingdean High Street
| 1 hour | 2 hours | 3 hours | 4 hours | 11 hours |
| £1.50 | £3.10 | £4.70 | N/A | N/A |
Low Tariff Roedean Road
| 1 hour | 2 hours | 3 hours | 4 hours | 11 hours |
| £1.50 | 3.10 | N/A | 6.10 | N/A |
Coach Park
| Coaches only | 4 hours | 8 hours |
| Madeira Drive (coach park) | 14.00 | 22.00 |
Taking a strategic approach going forward
“We understand that these increases come at a time when a lot of people are seeing their costs rise and that’s why we have stepped in to stop some of the higher price rises.
“That’s also why we’re carrying out a review to ensure we take a longer term, strategic approach to parking pricing in the city, the initial results of which will be reported to the Transport and Sustainability committee in December.
“These increases were planned as part of the annual budget as passed in February. They will help to fund things like the older and disabled people’s bus passes, supporting the most vulnerable people in our city.
“While we need to work carefully to balance the council’s budget, we also recognise people’s concerns about price rises and the importance of capping these increases.”
More information
Why is the cost of on-street parking increasing?
The changes to on-street parking charges were agreed at the council’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability committee in January and confirmed by Budget Council in February as part of the council’s budget setting process.
The council reviews its fees and charges annually and includes things like resident parking permit prices, on-street parking and council run car parks.
Why now?
Agreed changes don’t come in straight away. It can take time to make the changes and these are often done over a period of months. Although these changes were agreed in February, they’re only being implemented now.
What does it pay for?
Most of the money we receive in parking fees and charges pays for the cost of parking enforcement. This is vital to keeping traffic flowing round the city and ensuring public safety and access.
By law, any surplus generated must be spent on provision of public transport services or to road, air quality or environmental improvements.
Our surplus pays for thousands of concessionary bus passes for older and disabled people. We have a legal duty to offer these, but we receive no government funding to pay for them.
It also supports bus routes that would otherwise not be commercially viable, and is used for transport schemes that promote safe, active and sustainable travel.
Why did you remove pay and display machines?
The decision to decommission and remove the machines was also made at at Budget Council and represents a significant financial saving of £220,000 in 2023/24 as well as ongoing yearly savings.
These savings come from not having to maintain, repair and replace machines, collect cash payments or go ahead with a planned upgrade to 4G technology.
This comes at a time when councils are having to address huge financial challenges, brought on by years of government cuts to funding and also inflation.
The change mirrors other local authorities. Westminster City Council removed its machines in 2019. Enfield and Harrow Council have already begun the process of removing theirs.
You said that you were reviewing parking fees and charges, is this still happening?
Yes. A wider review of how the city charges for parking is currently taking place. The initial results of which are due to be presented to the Transport and Sustainability committee in December.
