Residents and visitors to Cornwall can expect to pay more while parking following Cornwall Council’s decision to increase charges from May 31.

Back in March, Cornwall Council announced plans to increase prices for council-owned car parks across the county. While many expected to see an increases, something remaining in line with inflation, the proposed hike in saw one car park in Liskeard, increase in price by 64.6% on annual permits, as charges rise from £242.98 annually, to £400.

However, this was not the only place set to see rises, with more than 35 car parks named in our area within the Council’s proposal and nearly 200 named across the county. 

A public consultation was launched by the council, asking residents of the area for their thoughts on these proposed changes.

Unsurprisingly, this controversial decision prompted heavy criticism, some took to social media to express their concern following the consultation announcement. One user from Liskeard wrote: “The only point of car parks in places like Liskeard is to provide a facility for people to use the shops and businesses and those working in them It is not supposed to be an income stream for the County Council No customers, No business, No town centre. Run the car parks at cost only!”

While another commented: “It's a bit of a shame there isn't any lateral thinking allowed in the public sector. i.e. 1. Make Rapson's car park, by the skateboard park, free, so people who work in Liskeard can park without filling up the streets around. 2. Make the first hour free, to encourage shoppers to come into town. Net effect, more people working in town, so paying more tax and National Insurance, more businesses opening up, as staff can park and shoppers can visit - more council tax. The slight drop in car park revenue would be well offset by the potential increase in business rates from having more shops, people would be encouraged to come into town to shop, rather than online/out-of-town, so a win-win situation, if only they were allowed to think!”

Residents across Cornwall also expressed their concerns that this would lead to people parking dangerously, hoping to avoid these steep charges. Others were concerned that this would push people out of towns, and that those who are forced to commute for work would look elsewhere. 

However, despite strong objection from residents and councillors in the area, many plans have gone ahead, with only some fees being changed from those proposed earlier this year. Therefore, as of May 31, those using council car parks can expect to pay more for their time in a space. 

When approached for a comment on the matter, a Cornwall Council spokesperson said: “Reflecting the views of the public consultation, several car parks will now move to a different zone and charges will no longer be introduced between November 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024 in car parks which have previously been free during the winter.

“The price of multi-session tickets will decrease by 50% for Zone A car parks bringing the cost down to just £2.50 per session/day. Multi-session tickets for Zone B car parks have also been cut – from £3 to £2 per session/day.”

We were also pointed to a comment released by Connor Donnithorne, Cornwall Council cabinet portfolio holder for transport, who said:“The changes we have made to our initial proposals reflects the large number of responses we received from residents in Cornwall.

“Initiatives such as lower bus fares and the improvements we have made to walking and cycling routes provide a cheaper and greener way to travel and I hope that those who can make changes to their journeys, will. However, I appreciate that this isn’t suitable for all – and at a time when wallets are increasingly stretched we have considered the needs of those who have no choice but to use our car parks on a regular basis and made changes to the cost of multi-session tickets.

“Income from car park charges not only helps to maintain car parks but also supports the Council’s wider transport service and without that income, we’d need to find other ways to generate that money.”

Despite these comments, explaining that charges help maintain county transport services, the decision to push on with many of these price increases has prompted concern from the public. Newly elected Mayor of Looe, Cllr Tony Smith said: “We are very disappointed that Cornwall Council has gone ahead and raised the parking charges in town despite our efforts to get it to reconsider. 

“These new charges will penalise local people who need to use the car parks in order to work in the town. They will also affect those residents that attend evening activities in the Millpool Centre who will no longer able to park for free in the evenings. 

“The new charges will add significantly to their costs. They may also jeopardise the viability of some of those organisations that provide these activities, with negative effects on the wellbeing of residents." 

While Mayor of Liskeard Cllr Simon Cassidy said: “We are absolutely devastated to hear that Cornwall Council decided to implement these changes especially at at a time when we are trying to encourage people into our town centres to shop locally.”

But with these new costs now in place, will you pay the price or are you looking for alternative travel? Let us know at[email protected]

You can find out more about parking costs near you on the Cornwall Council website:  cornwall-app.zatpermit.com/applicant