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North Yorkshire Council confirmed today it will increase all car park charges from April 19.

The Stray Ferret reported last week charges across the Harrogate district were in line to rise.

The council said in a statement today it would increase tariffs by 20% as “part of North Yorkshire’s commitment to maintain and improve its facilities”. It added the decision “was made after careful consideration of several factors impacting the service”.

Karl Battersby, the council’s corporate director of environment, said:

“We continuously strive to improve our parking services to provide a better customer experience. This includes investments in technology upgrades, such as automated payment systems and the installation of electric vehicle chargers to accommodate the growing market.

“We have refrained from increasing our car parking tariff for several years. However, to ensure we can continue to maintain the current provision and not divert funds away from vital frontline council services, we plan on introducing an increase across the car parking tariff that is in line with inflation.”

The statement said the cost of parking facilities, including infrastructure, repairs, lighting, and security had risen “and ensuring a safe and well-maintained environment is essential for the convenience and satisfaction of customers”.

The move affects all parking at council-owned car parks.

The hike in prices comes despite the council increasing council tax bills by 4.99% in 2024/25. It means the amount paid by an average Band D property for council services will increase by £87.80 to £1,847.62. The council faces a shortfall of more than £30 million for the next financial year.

Mr Battersby added:

“We also remain committed to improving public transport provision across North Yorkshire to ensure there are alternatives to car usage, as well as supporting efforts to become carbon neutral by 2030.”

The council plans to draft a strategy this year that will look at parking provision across North Yorkshire to see where future changes and improvements can be made.

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Villagers concerned about impact of new car park charges at Weeton Station

The introduction of parking charges at Weeton Station is causing concern about the impact on nearby roads.

Weeton is one of 10 stations where Northern Railway announced new parking charges this week.

Motorists now have to pay 50p for up to two hours or £2 per day between 8am and 4pm to park at the station.

This is prompting some drivers to park on streets near the station to avoid the charge.

David Chalmers, the chairman of Weeton Parish Council, said:

“A couple of people have highlighted to the parish council concerns over the likely impact the recent introduction of charges to park at Weeton station will have on the roads in the immediate area.

“Disappointingly Northern Rail did not notify us of the pending changes although given the lack of constructive engagement on other matters such as penalty fares I am unsurprised.”

A Northern spokesperson said:

“We consulted North Yorkshire County Council and rail officers in advance of charges going in and we also advised customers about the changes in advance by using posters at the station, our website and on the National Rail website.

“We’re introducing charges at these locations to ensure that our car parking facilities remain available for rail users only, as well as to align these stations with our other locations that saw the introduction of charges in 2022.”

The spokesperson also said the increase was introduced by the government, not Northern.

Mr Chalmers also said the extra traffic parked on streets could make it difficult for emergency services vehicles to get around the village, and faded yellow lines on the road further exacerbated problems.

He said:

“I am aware that a couple of weeks ago there were access issues for an oil tanker, a vehicle which is of similar size to a fire engine.

“This has been raised to North Yorkshire Council on multiple occasions without any meaningful feedback on whether they plan to have the lines repainted.”

Melisa Burnham, the council’s highways area manager, said:

“The local highways team are aware of the issue and there is an order in place to refresh the yellow lining 55 metres either side of the carriageway.

“We will be liaising with the parish council and local councillors regarding the works and will review all communications about this issue.”

Weeton is situated on the line between Harrogate and Leeds.

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Parking charges introduced at Weeton railway station

Parking charges will be introduced at Weeton Station in a fortnight’s time.

Northern Railway has announced it is one of 10 station where charges are being brought in.

From Monday, December 11, motorists will have to pay £2 per day between 8am and 4pm on their phones to park at Weeton.

Northern said the charges would “ensure car parking facilities remain available for rail users only” but the move has sparked fears about the impact on parking in the village.

One resident, who asked not to be named, said:

“There is already a problem locally with how inconsiderately rail users park on the roads around the station.

“This will only make it worse.”

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Northern said in a statement:

“We know that the introduction of charges might be unwelcome news for some customers and colleagues, and we’re committed to keeping our car park arrangements under review to ensure they meet the needs of colleagues and customers alike.”

Northern said, in line with the approach taken by councils and parking companies, the machines will be cashless.

It means people will not be able to pay for parking through the ticket offices or onboard any of the services; they will have to pay via phone, smartphone or app.

None of the other rail stations in the north of England where parking charges are being introduced on December 10 are in the Harrogate district.

The other locations include Poppleton, Buckshaw Parkway and Snaith.

But motorists already have to pay to park at many local stations. For instance, Harrogate charges £4 per day and Pannal charges £3 per day.

Yorkshire Water begins installing parking charges equipment at Harrogate district reservoirs

Work is set to begin this week to install equipment and infrastructure at Harrogate district reservoirs as part of a parking charges trial.

Yorkshire Water is undertaking the work at Swinsty Moor car park today, with Swinsty Stack Point, Thruscross and Fewston set to follow afterwards.

The company is introducing payment machines and automatic number plate recognition cameras at the reservoirs.

It will see charges introduced at the car parks from early 2024.

A spokesperson for Yorkshire Water said: 

“We know how important our sites are to local communities and visitors alike. We have thought long and hard about the way people use our sites before implementing this trial, as well as considering approaches at similar sites around the country. We believe a small parking fee and increased security will help to dissuade anti-social behaviour, such as fly-tipping, at our sites but also have a long-term positive impact in terms of the projects we can deliver in the future.

“Our brand-new, in-house ranger team will be supported as a direct result of introducing these charges and we have a wide range of exciting conservation, community and facilities enhancements lined up for the future.

“We will be collaborating with local authorities and local stakeholders to ensure the introduction of these tariffs in 2024 causes minimal disruption and will be working hard to ensure all our visitors are aware of the charges before they arrive at our sites.”

Car park users will be able to pay via card payment on site, by using the RingGo app or telephone.

The proposed tariffs will be one hour at £1, two hours at £2, six hours at £3 and an all day pass for £5.

Meanwhile, an annual pass for all car parks will cost £30.

Parking will remain free for blue badge holders.

Bransby Wilson Parking Solutions, based in York, has been appointed to operate the parking meters. 

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Harrogate hospital defends new parking charges

Harrogate District Hospital has defended its new parking charges and said the ticketless system is reducing congestion.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust introduced a new system and charges on September 6.

The old entry barriers have been replaced by automatic number plate recognition.

Visitors are now entitled to 20 minutes of free parking. It then costs £4 for up to two hours, £6.50 for up to four hours, £8.50 for up to six hours and £11 for up to 24 hours.

The new prices have attracted criticism on social media, with some complaining £4 is a lot to pay for a visit that might only last for 25 minutes.

Visitors previously received 30 minutes free parking and were then charged £2.60 for up to 90 minutes, £3.80 for up to two-and-a-half hours and £6.10 for up to four-and-a-half hours.

A trust spokesperson said:

“Increasing parking charges is never an easy decision to make, but we have to ensure that our car parks are well maintained and safe for patients, visitors and staff.

“All funds gathered from parking charges are invested back into the delivery of patient care and maintaining facilities, such as car parks across the trust.

“Over the next five years we anticipate that we will need to invest significant sums in our car parks and security, and the revenue raised through car parking charges will help us to fund this work.

Hospital car park barrier

The old barrier has been removed.

The spokesperson added the trust chose to keep free parking or concessionary rates for certain patients and visitors including blue badge holders, patients receiving cancer treatment, parents visiting the paediatric ward or special care baby unit, and those in receipt of benefits.

They added:

“Parking is also free for the first 20 minutes allowing for patients to be dropped off and collected without the driver needing to pay for parking. It also encourages drivers from waiting in the car park after dropping someone off, ensuring that other people who require our services can find a parking space.”

The spokesperson said car park management firm Parkingeye had not issued any parking charge notices to date because the hospital was operating a grace period.

He did not say how long this would last.

Asked how the new system was working, the spokesman said:

“The new ANPR parking system is helping eliminate congestion on Lancaster Park Road through the removal of barriers which has improved flow into the hospital grounds.

“We welcome feedback from users so that we can further improve on their experience of our new car parking system.”

The ANPR system will be expanded into the trust’s staff car parks in October, where staff will be charged a monthly fee to use the car parking facilities calculated on their vehicle’s emissions, their pay band and their contracted hours.

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No date set for Swinsty and Fewston parking charges, says Yorkshire Water

Yorkshire Water has said no date has been set for the introduction of parking charges at Harrogate district reservoirs.

The company is to introduce payment machines and automatic number plate recognition at Swinsty, Fewston and Thruscross car parks.

It said previously that the revenue generated will help to pay for an in-house rangers team, which would undertake maintenance jobs and tackle anti-social behaviour at its sites.

Proposals for parking machines at both Fewston and Swinsty reservoirs were approved by Harrogate Borough Council in September last year.

The Stray Ferret asked Yorkshire Water this week if it had confirmed an implementation date for the machines.

A spokesperson said a date had yet to be confirmed and that the plans were “still in progress”.

While no date has been set for when charges will come in, Yorkshire Water said they will include season tickets for one or multiple sites.

A spokesperson told the Stray Ferret previously:

“There will be an option for visitors to purchase a ‘season ticket’ for the year which can cover just one car park or all car parks in the Washburn Valley, obviously this will work out cheaper than ‘pay as you go’ option, depending on how frequently people visit.

“The prices for the season tickets will be £30 per annum for a single site and £45 per annum for multiple sites. Blue badge holders, as previously stated, will be able to park free of charge.”

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Car park users will be able to pay via card payment on site, by using the RingGo app or telephone.

The proposed tariffs will be one hour at £1, two hours at £2, six hours at £3 and an all day pass for £5.

Bransby Wilson Parking Solutions, based in York, has been appointed to operate the parking meters.