Shoppers shun Harrogate multi-storey car parks

Harrogate’s multi-storey car parks are generating considerably less income than expected this year.

Off-street parking revenue is £293,000 below budget, a Harrogate Borough Council meeting heard on Monday.

Gillian Morland, service finance manager at the council, told the overview and scrutiny committee meeting the  Jubilee and Victoria multi-storey car parks were “particularly down on income”.

Ms Morland said the looming abolition of Harrogate Borough Council and the creation of a single unitary authority for North Yorkshire presented the chance to improve matters. She said:

“There is a good opportunity as we merge into the new authority to look at a joined-up approach and the whole issue of traffic management, bring on and off-street parking together.”

The Stray Ferret reported yesterday that Harrogate Borough Council is forecasting to spend £2.5m more than budgeted in its final year of existence.

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This is mainly because utility bills are £1.7m above budget and staff pay is £1.1m higher than expected following the 2022/23 pay award of 6.7% rather than the predicted 2.5% .

But the report to councillors also revealed several other areas of shortfalls.

Besides car parking, planning application income is £320,000 less than expected due to a reduction in applications.

Ms Morland said:

“I understand planning income has been down for some time now and it’s not returned to the pre pandemic levels. The big issue is we are not getting the big planning applications, the high value ones, but I don’t know any more of the detail.”

Philip Broadbank, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Starbeck, said he understood there had been “a lot fewer applications” for house extensions because of the economic climate over the last three or four months.

 

Harrogate council scraps parking charges for lockdown

Harrogate Borough Council has announced that it has scrapped parking charges for lockdown.

The council said it will help NHS staff, key workers, essential businesses and those that need it at a difficult time.

It applies to off-street parking only and will be in force from tomorrow until December 2. Across the Harrogate district there are 33 car parks which will all be affected by the move.

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In Harrogate, it will mean that it is now free to park at West Park Long Stay Multi-Storey, Victoria and Jubilee car parks.

Harrogate Borough Council also scrapped the same off-street parking charges in the first coronavirus lockdown.

Parking charges and enforcement will still be in place for on-street parking to prevent issues with traffic management. North Yorkshire County Council, which controls on-street parking, will keep exceptions for NHS and care workers as well as coronavirus support volunteers.