Residents' parking charges postcode lottery revealed
Britain's motorists are being stung by council-imposed residents' parking charges of up to £1,258 a year for the privilege of leaving their vehicle outside, new research reveals today.
Car owners face a postcode lottery of widely differing charges – including administration fees and idiosyncratic add-ons – depending on where they live in the UK.
The audit by consumer motoring experts at Carbuyer and Auto Express of charges from 243 UK councils running controlled parking zones – dubbed CPZs – reveals how motorists are paying hundreds of pounds a year into council coffers to park in their own streets.
Sky-high residents' parking charges: A new report has listed which councils are charging the most for locals to park their cars outside their own homes
The report also highlights councils applying a parking surcharge for diesel cars and administration fees, as well as discounts for low-emission and electric vehicles, using Freedom of Information requests to compare and contrast charges.
The AA said some motorists were paying a 'ridiculously high price' for the 'necessary evil' of residents' parking, branded diesel surcharges unfair, and said extra charges 'smacked of profiteering'.
Highest basic residential charges were for residents in the exclusive Barbican Estate in central London which is run by the City of London, at £1,258 a year.
It is followed by Birmingham City Council which charges a maximum £785 for residents' parking in the city centre inner-zone.
Third is Manchester City Council charging £750 for its city centre permit, followed by Edinburgh charging a maximum £499 for the highest CO2 emitting cars, and the London Borough of Islington at £475.
Making up the rest of the top 10 chargers are the London boroughs of Enfield at £330, Lambeth at £306.17, Camden at £296.14, followed by Glasgow at £285 and Haringey at £280.
Barbican was listed as the most expensive place to park. The London estate charges a staggering £1,258 for a residents' permit
Most expensive basic residents’ parking permits in the UK Rank Council Cost of annual permit Notes 1 Barbican Estate £1,258 A private residential estate run by the City of London 2 Birmingham City council £785 City centre inner zone 3 Manchester City council £750 City centre Zone 3 C1 permit 4 Edinburgh City council £499 Central zone, CO2 emissions 226g/km and over 5 London Borough of Islington £475 CO2 emissions over 255g/km 6 London Borough of Enfield £330 Cars with 3.0-litre engines or larger 7 London Borough of Lambeth £306.17 CO2 emissions over 225g/km 8 London Borough of Camden £296.14 CO2 emissions over 225g/km 9 Glasgow £285 Inner zone city centre 10 London Borough of Haringey £280 CO2 emissions over 255g/km
The prices are for the first permit issued to a household, and exclude any additional diesel surcharges councils may make.
Some councils charge more for residents who own multiple cars.
The CarBuyer and Auto Express report says around one in seven (14 per cent) of councils use a sliding scale of charges based on a car's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions but warns of 'a significant variation in thresholds'.
But that's not the end of the story. Some councils add a diesel surcharge onto residents' parking charges to tackle NOx emissions – a practice the AA condemned as 'absurd' given that parked cars don't pollute.
The London Borough of Merton slaps on a diesel surcharge of £115, set to rise to £150 next year.
Islington adds £99.65, Hackney £50, Kensington and Chelsea £43 on all but the latest cleanest diesels, Lambeth £40, Camden between £21.60 and £63.67 depending on emissions, and Barnet £10.
In some cases, such as Islington, the system seemingly contradicts itself. Lower charges encourage diesels with low CO2 emissions, before a surcharge is then added on for having a diesel car.
Diesel surcharges implemented by councils across the UK Council Annual surcharge Conditions London Borough of Merton £115 (rising to £150 in 2019) All diesels London Borough of Islington £99.65 All diesels, but taxis and vehicles of carers and tradespeople exempt London Borough of Hackney £50 All diesels Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea £43 Pre Euro 6 diesels London Borough of Lambeth £40 Pre Euro 6 diesels London Borough of Camden £21.60-£63.67 All diesels, but cost is CO2 emission-dependent London Borough of Barnet £10 All diesels
The report concluded: 'Parking is subject that affects every driver in the country. And with local authorities responsible for setting and managing their own on-street parking operations, it is one that varies wildly depending on where you live.
'With one council offering free permits for solar-powered cars, another charging over £1,000 for an annual permit, others applying a £30 charge for refunds and one charging £115 a year extra for diesel cars, it's a postcode lottery out there.'
To rub salt into the wound, councils are also charging surprisingly high add-on administration charges of up to £30 to drivers who apply for a refund on their permits – such as if if they move house or change cars mid year.
Barking and Dagenham council charges up to £73.80 for an annual resident's permit, but also £30 administration for refunds or changes to vehicle details.
The council said the charges 'cover not only the admin costs but provide a surplus that is then re-invested in improving our roads and pavements, on which we have spent over £9.5million pounds since 2014'.
Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council imposes a one-off £180 'joining fee' compared to the £103.50 annual charge. Tower Hamlets charges £25.50 for refunds while other councils charge from £20.
Administration and refund fees motorists face in different areas Council Admin/refund charge details Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council £180 one-off joining fee (£103.50 annual charge) London Borough of Barking and Dagenham £30 charge for changes to vehicle or refunds London Borough of Tower Hamlets £25.50 for refunds London Borough of Merton £25 set-up cost; £20 for refunds; £10 for vehicle changes London Borough of Harrow £25 for refunds Warrington Borough Council £20 for changes to vehicle London Borough of Hackney £20 for refunds
Motorists also face idiosyncratic rules and policy quirks.
Westminster council, for example, issues free residents' permits to owners of solar-powered cars – even though none yet exist commercially – as well as for electric vehicles and hybrids.
Norwich and City of York councils charge more for longer cars and less for shorter ones.
Cherwell council, which charges £66 a year, won't grant a residents' parking permit if the car's gross weight is over 2.25 tonnes, or if exceeds five metres in length, or two metres in width and height – that would exclude an all-electric Tesla Model X and anything heavier than a BMW 5 Series.
Cherwell council said it strictly enforces height limits following complaints, but takes a 'flexible approach' to vehicle weights.
Daventry residents can get a first permit for £19, but must pay £312 for a second car.
Sevenoaks residents pay more for a permit if they have off-street parking. Residents are charged £35 if they have no off-street spaces, rising to £250 with those who have three spaces.
The scheme relies on residents' honesty, but Sevenoaks says 'spot checks can take place from time to time'.
Torbay council's Teignmouth Road scheme costs £190 a year for the first three years, but will fall to just £30 a year once the scheme's implementation costs are covered.
It's not just permit costs motorists are being fleeced by - councils are also incorporating surcharges for those who own diesel cars and others have administration and refund fees to pay on top
AA President Edmund King said permits were 'a necessary evil' to deter other people from parking on their street. But he insisted: 'These schemes should be affordable so that low income families, who are the most car dependent, can take part.
'Paying in excess of £65 a month in Birmingham is a ridiculously high price.'
On the diesel surcharges for residents' parking the AA's Mr King added: 'Drivers bought diesel cars in good faith and under the advice of previous governments. To then penalise them for following that advice is unfair.'
Councils should instead lobby Government for a diesel scrappage scheme 'so we can get the older, gross polluting diesels off our roads.'
Mr King said councils should not be profiteering from administration fees by charging £30 for a piece of paper in the online age.
AA president Edmund King accused councils of profiteering from motorists by charging £30 in administration fees for a permit when it should be offered online
'If councils do have to charge then it should be for costs only rather than for profit,' he added.
The Local Government Association representing councils said: 'Our communities vary considerably from place to place and it is important that local councils are able to make decisions that best meet the needs of their area.'
The City of London said fees from the Barbican Estate are 'reinvested, where possible into the estate'.
Birmingham city council said its £750 annual charges are for the 'inner zone of the city centre where parking spaces are at a premium', adding they 'represent a significant saving, compared to the cost of purchasing individual parking tickets each day'.
Merton council justified its diesel surcharges by insisting: 'We recognise that at present all diesel vehicles are highly polluting in terms of nitrous oxides and dioxides.'
The council also said that it would be looking at emissions-based charging in 2019.
It said its residents permits are 'among the lowest in London'.