North Devon Council to examine parking charges

North Devon Council is setting up a group to explore parking issues

Car parking charges are set to get closer scrutiny in north Devon because of a new working group being set up by the the local district council.

North Devon Council is setting up the group to explore parking-related issues before the budget is set, it said.

Car parking charges have not increased this year, after going up in 2023 for the first time in eight years.

Each of three political groups – the Liberal Democrats, Independents and Conservatives – will be represented on the working group.

Members of the council’s strategy and resources committee said rural and urban car parks needed different approaches and they wanted the group to address the layout of car parks, as well as provision of family and disabled bays.

The group will meet every month until the end of the year, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported.

Across England, councils received nearly £2bn from parking in 2022-23 and paid about half of this in running and enforcement costs.

According to figures from the previous government’s Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, North Devon Council made a profit of £1.7m on car parking fees, permits, fines and car park rent that year.