Council budgets: Cost of parking in Oxford to increase

Local council budgets are under immense pressure

The cost of street parking in Oxford's city centre is set to rise next month.

Currently, visitors pay £6.60 for an hour or £13.20 for two hours of parking.

The increase will mean that those who come to Oxford by car will have to pay £15.20 to park for two hours.

Why are prices going up?

Local council budgets are under immense pressure due to government funding cuts.

Oxfordshire County Council had an £11.2m shortfall, which it had to close in time for last month's budget.

Parking price increases generated £200,000 - less than 2% of that shortfall.

This means residents will have to pay more for other things - including parking charges.

The government said its settlement for councils this year included new funding worth £600m.

Liberal Democrat councillor and cabinet member for transport Andrew Gant said: "Parking is a tool which addresses a number of policy objectives.

"It is a revenue generator but it is also, of course, a traffic management measure, and it has to be seen in the context of that as well."

Amanda Edwards Day, a special educational needs teacher at St Friedswide School in Oxford, is concerned the increase will drive more teachers out of the area

What about the parking levy?

Another idea that is being considered to tackle the pressure on council budgets is the introduction of a parking levy.

This is an annual charge to businesses for staff car parks with more than 10 spaces.

And it is employers who would decide whether they want to pass any or all of the charge on to their employees who drive to work.

Amanda Edwards Day, a special educational needs teacher at St Friedswide School in Oxford, is concerned this will drive more teachers out of the area.

"In my school alone, it's going to be an excess of £22,000, that will be passed to staff. Staff are already stretched," she said.

Ms Edwards-Day added that it's not just teachers who would be impacted by the proposed levy, but "support staff, cleaning staff, kitchen staff".

Street parking in Oxford's city centre is set to rise next month

Oxfordshire County Council said the proposals were at a very early stage.

"The detailed work on exactly how it might work and who it might apply to…hasn't even begun yet," Mr Gant said.

"Those discussions will happen and the education sector will be absolutely key to that."

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