Cleethorpes car park charges set to rise for second time in three years

Most council-run car parks in Cleethorpes would see a rise of 50p in charges if the proposals go ahead

Drivers in Cleethorpes could face the second rise in car parking charges in three years in 2024.

If the increase goes ahead, the cost of using most council-run off-street car parks in the town would go up by 50p

The rise was expected to bring in an extra £300,000 a year, which would be used to maintain the sites, according to North East Lincolnshire Council.

The move would also "influence driver behaviour" and encourage use of alternative transport, it said.

Charges to use the town's council-run car parks were last increased in 2022, after 10 years of no change.

A council report said the proposed new price rise was "intended to secure the long-term funding required to cover the cost of maintaining the parking assets".

It would cost a little over £7,000 to implement, with most of the cost being involved in updating software.

"Importantly, it also helps in discouraging an over-reliance on car-based trips," the council report added.

The proposed rise in car parking charges is expected to bring in an extra £300,000 a year

Exactly when the new prices would come in remained unclear, although it was likely to take place sometime next year, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Three weeks' notice in the local press is required for such a change and ticket machine software would require six weeks to change.

A council spokesperson said: "The recommendations were agreed by the portfolio holder and are now subject to a call-in period taking us up to 3 January 2024.

"The date of implementation will be published closer to the time."

If the plan goes ahead, the Grant Street car park would see the biggest rises as it had no increase in 2022.

A one hour stay there would cost £2, up from the current £1.

A stay of up to two hours would cost £3, two to four hours would cost £4.50 compared to £2.50 currently, and the charge for a stay of more than six hours would double to £6.