The amount motorists pay to park in the Harrogate district looks set to increase sharply on April 1 to generate an extra £3.6 million for North Yorkshire Council.

The cost to park for 30 minutes on the street is expected to go up from £1.10 to £1.70. The cost for one hour, two hours and three hours of street parking is expected to rise from £2.10 to £2.80, £4.20 to £4.40 and £6.40 to £7.90 respectively.

Council-owned car park tariffs will increase to about £2.20 an hour in Harrogate. Some car parks, including the Odeon, currently charge 90p for an hour. The Victoria Car Park, however, will only see charges rise from £1.80 an hour to £2.

The cost to park at The Arcade Car Park in Ripon for an hour will rise from 80p to £2.20 while the Fisher Street Car Park charge in Knaresborough will go up from 80p to £1.80.

Southlands in Pateley Bridge will see the cost increase from 70p to £1 an hour.

The council says it is “rebalancing” tariffs after it inherited different rates from the seven former district and borough councils that were abolished in 2023. It is also adding a 10% uplift — more than three-times above the current rate of inflation of 3%.

The news comes a week after the Stray Ferret revealed the number of parking fines in the Harrogate district has increased by 39% following a drive to recruit more traffic wardens.

Steve Brown, the council’s head of parking services, said in a report published today (February 20) the proposed increase to parking charges aims to reduce congestion and encourage people to use other forms of transport.

Mr Brown added:

His proposals are expected to be nodded through at a meeting between Conservative highways chief Councillor Malcolm Taylor and the council’s corporate director of environment, Karl Battersby, a week today (February 27) and then come into force on April 1.

A council press release announcing the news today said the local authority had spent £2.4 million on improving its car parks. Of this, £2 million will be used to replace the existing 430 pay and display machines, including new ticketless ones in 150 of its car parks. It will also be used to improve signage.

A total of £400,000 has been set aside to upgrade lighting in some car parks.

Reprieve for Blue Badges

The proposals for new parking tariffs include introducing a charge on Sundays and evenings to car parks that do not already do so.

An additional cost is planned for second permits in existing residential zones to account for the increasing number of houses with multiple vehicles.

However, Blue Badge parking will continue to be free in all council-run car parks after it was proposed to remove it.

Cllr Taylor said: 

Last month, plans to procure a single mobile parking app provider across the county were approved.

There are currently several app providers across the county under arrangements from former district and borough councils.