North Yorkshire Council is to introduce a single mobile parking app for motorists in the county.

Drivers currently require different apps to pay to use council street parking and car parks in different parts of North Yorkshire.

This is a legacy of old district and borough councils, which operated independently until they were abolished in 2023.

Jane Wilson, the council’s assistant director for highways and infrastructure, said in a report the current system costs £208,000 a year and is inconsistent for motorists and inefficient for council administration.

Her report said a procurement exercise for a single app had the potential to save £70,000 a year. But it added:

“These savings are likely to be offset by the need to provide the app facility in additional areas. The proposal is therefore expected to be cost neutral overall, with the added benefit of a more consistent and accessible service across North Yorkshire.”

The council currently uses AppyParking in the Harrogate district. A decision on which app to use in future has not been made yet.

The council considered copying other local authorities and joining the National Parking Platform, which caters for different app systems.

But Ms Wilson’s report said the council decided against it for various reasons, including failure to reach agreement on monthly payments and uncertainty over finance system compatibility. “This approach would not generate savings compared to current arrangements and is projected to cost around £5,000 more,” she said.

Her report concluded:

“The current fragmented approach to mobile parking apps is inefficient and inconsistent with the council’s strategic objectives. Procuring a single provider will deliver operational savings, improve the customer experience, and support the council’s broader transformation agenda.”