Ending free parking is 'tax on poor' - councillor

Cllr Shaun Hughes fears businesses could close as a result of parking charges

Plans to end free parking and charge people based on their car's pollution levels have been dubbed a “tax on the poor” by a councillor.

Midsomer Norton’s South Road car park and the Church Street and Waterloo Road car parks in Radstock were all currently free places to park near the town centres.

Now Bath and North East Somerset Council is consulting on plans to start charging people to park there, on the same basis as the “emissions based charges” people pay in Bath’s car parks.

Independent councillor Shaun Hughes said: “Emissions based charges are a tax on the poor, people who can’t afford the latest electric vehicle or the latest fuel efficient vehicles.”

There is opposition from local businesses to the planned charges

Under the plans, parking at the car parks would be free for the first half hour.

Two hours parking would cost 80p for electric vehicles and the least polluting non-diesel cars, but diesel cars and cars producing higher carbon emissions will be charged extra — with two hours’ parking costing the most polluting diesel cars 50p more.

The charges would apply from 08:00 to 18:00 BST Monday to Saturday.

Pay and display machines look up a vehicle’s emissions from the DVLA and charge based on how much carbon is emitted or, if this information is not available, the capacity of the engine.

The proposed charges would come into force in October and go up again in after a year.

Emissions based parking was first introduced in car parks in Bath in September 2023, intending to tackle air quality issues in the city.

'Improve air quality'

Speaking at a full meeting of Bath and North East Somerset Council on 18 July, Mr Hughes said: “This scheme will move traffic out to out of town shopping that has free parking and increase vehicle movements.

"Displacement of vehicles and lack of footfall will have a devastating impact on our businesses - particularly those small independents that rely on single item purchases and visits - and will inevitably end up in some closures of some of these small businesses."

Ending free parking in the Midsomer Norton and Radstock car parks is part of a wider set of updates to parking charges through which the council hopes to make £195,000 a year.

Traders are opposed to the scheme

The council’s cabinet member for transport Manda Rigby said: “Our aim is to improve air quality, reduce congestion and encourage other ways to travel across Bath and North East Somerset and these proposals would be another step in the right direction to achieve this."

The consultation on the plans runs until 8 August.