Consultation on public car parking changes in Wirral launched

The proposals will see inflationary increases in charges at all council-owned car parks and on-street parking bays where fees already apply, increase in charges for resident parking schemes, introduction of charges at council-owned car parks and on-street parking bays that had been previously free and introduction of a £1 charge to park overnight (between 6.30pm and 8am) at all council-owned car parks on on-street parking bays.

The introduction of new charges for car parking and the overnight parking charge are subject to the adoption of a new Traffic Regulation Order (TRO), which is a legal requirement that involves consultation with residents.

That consultation launches on September 25 and runs for four weeks.

There is no requirement to consult on the increase in fees in areas where charges were already present.

The council have said introducing more paid-for parking controls will “help address the challenges and future parking impacts by managing traffic, congestion, and ensuring regular turnover of spaces in line with the approved Wirral Parking Strategy”.

And that the changes also “support the strategy in aligning and supporting other policies and initiatives, such as the Cool Wirral campaign to encourage local climate-related action”.

Wirral Council also stated that charging would “allow the council to meet the costs of continuing to provide dedicated public car parking into the future in a fair and equitable manner, ensuring that any new parking plans are self-financing”.

Blue Badge holders will not need to pay for parking as long as they clearly display their Blue Badge.

The findings of the consultation will be reported back to the Environment, Climate Emergency and Transport Committee later this year for a decision.

Members will also be asked to decide on the proposal to increase fees in areas where charges were already present.

More details can be found at haveyoursay.wirral.gov.uk.