Planned parking fee hikes 'staggering'

The head of Hereford's main retail and hospitality body has said proposed increases in charges at the county's car parks are "staggering".

Herefordshire Council is trying to bridge a £30m funding gap and is planning an average rise of 8-10% in charges, which a spokesperson claimed would be about 15p extra for an hour's parking.

Chief executive of Hereford BID Mike Truelove said the rise seemed hard to justify.

Herefordshire Council previously said fees had not increased since 2023 but the change was needed due to "the scale of the financial challenge",

A council spokesperson added: "Had tariffs increased in line with inflation since 2023, the cumulative rise would have been around 17%, so the planned adjustments remain significantly below that level."

However, Truelove said: "Whilst businesses were delighted at the gesture of a free 30-minute slot for all car parks, we later discovered the disappointing news of proposals to increase fees by a staggering inflation beating 8-10%, when UK inflation is currently 3.4%."

He added the rise, due to come in at the start of April, "seems hard to justify when we have clear evidence of footfall in the city being down over the last few years in response to consumer fears on the economy".

Truelove said he was not aware of any prior consultation with Hereford BID or any of the 600 businesses it represents, adding: "This is simply piling on more pressure to stressed and pressured businesses struggling in very hard trading conditions."

He reiterated that Herefordshire Council's concurrent announcement of 30 minutes free initial parking "was "truly positive and will be appreciated by shops", though he added that extending this to an hour "would be game-changing" and also wanted it extended to on-street parking.

However, he acknowledged the council were "not in an enviable position" after the government "pulled the rug from under the county's feet" by cutting central funding to Herefordshire in the next and subsequent financial years.

"Despite this, leaning further on parking income in this way makes it harder for cash-strapped shoppers," Truelove said.

"Our members are extremely upset in a climate that is incredibly tough for traders including rising business rates and employment costs."

In its draft budget proposals for 2026/27, due to be approved by councillors next month, Herefordshire Council aims to raise an extra £900,000 from the 40 or so car parks it manages in the county, nearly half of which are in Hereford.

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