Canterbury: Council consults raise parking fees amid financial woes

Car parks in Whitstable and Herne Bay could increase in cost by up to £2.10 an hour

A cash-strapped council is looking to raise parking fees to tackle its financial pressures.

Canterbury City Council is seeking the public's views on proposals which could raise more than £1 million in extra revenue.

It could see some of the area's coastal car parks in Whitstable and Herne Bay rise in cost by up to £2.10 an hour.

The authority needs to plug a £1.9m financial blackhole fuelled by the rise in inflation.

Mike Sole, the council's cabinet member for finance, said that parking accounted for about a quarter of the council's income.

He explained that due to high interest rates and inflation, it was necessary to raise parking fees as "there is no way around it".

Cabinet member Alex Ricketts told a meeting the council did not want to put prices up but the realities of the budget "mean that we do need to do this".

A consultation on parking fees and the budget will run from 13 November to 8 January, with residents able to give feedback online.

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