Costs rising for both on-street parking and Council car parks

Parking charges in the London Borough of Hounslow are set to increase by up to 9% with the new rates set to come in this month.

Hounslow Council say it is the first time they have increased charges for six years and that all increases have been kept at the lowest possible level. The changes will come into effect from Monday 20 February. The changes do not affect CPZ permit costs or visitor's vouchers.

The on-street charge will be £1.20 per half an hour up from £1.10.

In council car parks, a new £1 charge for half an hour stay has been introduced and then from:

• £1.80 [1 hour]
• £3.80 [2 hours]
• £6 [3 hours]
• £8.40 [4 hours]
• £11.40 [5 hours]
• £14.40 [over 5 hours]

The previous rate was £1.70 per hour

Free parking for 30 minutes will continue to be available at Albany Parade car park, Brentford High Street and Wisdom Court car park, and this has been added at Chiswick Town Hall car park. Any time over the free 30 minute parking will cost £1.80 in these venues.

Councillor Sue Sampson, Cabinet Member for Community Protection, Hounslow Council, said: ““In an ideal world, we would rather they stay the same. We know the importance of our residents shopping locally and the fantastic effect that has on our local businesses and that residents also have to visit local services such as doctor’s surgeries and pharmacies, which means finding somewhere to park.

“But with the cuts to local council budgets getting more severe every year, it is simply not possible to keep charges as they are. We have avoided this increase for six years and all we can do is make the increases as minimal as possible.”

The effective cost of parking is set to rise further for most people following the decision to exclusively use the Ringgo system to book parking which requires that an admin fee be paid on every ticket.

It is not clear at this stage whether the free Stop and Shop half hour that is available in some parts of the borough will continue for on-street parking. There are concerns that the move to cashless parking will mean it will be technically difficult to carry on with this scheme. We have asked Hounslow Council if this concession will no longer be available.

February 17, 2017