Off-street parking charges 2024-25

Open for comments from Monday 20 November to Sunday 3 December 2023.

This consultation has been launched to gather feedback on proposed changes to parking charges at car parks managed by Cambridge City Council, to come into effect from April 2024.

It will help us to decide on the level of car parking charges and any changes to proposed tariffs that may then be required.

The proposed changes can be viewed in the attachment on this page. You can have your say on the proposals until Sunday 3 December 2023. Select the 'Take the survey' button to leave your feedback.

These changes are part of our ongoing commitment to:

• provide a high-quality parking service while working to reduce traffic congestion
• improve air quality
• promote a greener, low-carbon environment

The proposals would keep the increase in parking charges in line with inflation, to help maintain affordability for residents and visitors.

Parking proposals

It will always be necessary to have some parking charges to control the availability of spaces in the car parks. Charges also assist in managing congestion on the roads during busy times.

They are are also in place to encourage people to use public transport, walk or cycle into the city where they can.

Parking proposals to be consulted on include:

• Increasing current parking charges by an average of 5%, which is in line with the rate of inflation.

The council needs to price parking in a way that takes account of rising costs of providing the car parking service.

Parking income can also help to support other services we provide throughout the city.

• Simplifying the parking tariff structure.

In response to customer feedback, the number of tariffs will be reduced from four to two for each car park, with just one ‘peak time’ tariff and one ‘off-peak’ tariff seven days a week.

The new structure will retain our commitment to addressing congestion by incentivising other forms of transport. It will also provide greater clarity and convenience for those who wish to park in our car parks.

The proposed car park tariffs can be found in the document below. For an accessible version of the document, please contact webteam@cambridge.gov.uk.

• Continuing to provide free evening and overnight parking.

From 6pm to 8am on weekdays (Monday to Saturday) and from 6pm to 10am on Sundays at all of our multi-storey and four pay and display car parks.

This will provide a boost to the city's night-time economy and also enable owners of electric vehicles to access charging points in council car parks without incurring parking fees.

These parking proposals do not affect the existing three-hour discount provided to Blue Badge holders.

Next steps

We will collate your responses and consider all comments, although we cannot respond to them individually.

Your feedback will be presented to the Executive Councillor for Planning, Building Control and Infrastructure to decide on the level of car parking charges and any changes that may be required to the charging tariffs.

Proposed car park pricing changes will be included within the Budget Setting Report submitted to full Council on 15 February 2024.