H&F Conservatives' Fifty Five Per Cent Increase In Parking Charges

Last December the Daily Telegraph put H&F Council on its Top Ten List of Parking Shame. That doesn't seem to have caused a moment of regret amongst the Conservative Administration as last month they unveiled new plans to introduce a 55% increase in parking charges across most of the Borough. The first of these ticket price hikes kick in this month.

The Conservatives have also announced a 20% increase in parking permit charges. This January they will rise from £99 to £119. And car driving residents will be hit again if they wish to park outside of their neighbourhood parking zone as parking ticket prices will jump from £1.80 an hour to £2.40 an hour. A further leap will be added next year when the Administration says it will increase the charge again to £2.80 an hour.

The Conservative Administration's excuse for their latest soaring stealth tax is "these prices put us on par with other inner London Boroughs". But that statement appears to be at odds with the facts when you consider that hourly tickets can be purchased in Kensington and Chelsea from 50 pence; in Wandsworth from 70 pence and in Southwark from 80 pence - you can even park in parts of Westminster for £1 per hour.

Regular readers will recall that H&F's Conservative Administration has brought in over 500 new or increased stealth taxes and that Nick Botterill (Con), the Deputy Leader of our Council (and the person responsible for parking policy) successfully argued for an increase in the level of parking fines which saw the cost rise from £80 to £120.