Kirklees Together

Cabinet has approved a review of parking charges across all council-operated off-street car parks and on-street parking bays across the district.

At Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, Members approved proposals to increase parking tariffs by inflation, retrospectively back to 2009. These changes will support budget savings while setting parking charges that are appropriate and consistent within the region.

What are the changes?

Short-stay parking fees in Huddersfield will increase from 70p an hour to £1.10 per hour, with fees in Dewsbury and other areas of Kirklees set to increase from 5p to 50p per hour. Long-stay parking across the borough will increase from £4 all day to £6.50 all day. A comparable rate will also be introduced for car parks that are currently free of charge. These charges and the revised tariffs will start to be introduced from January 2024.

Under the proposals, a review of short and long-stay provisions will also be undertaken, with changes made to reflect the changing demand for retail, commuter, and cultural time spent in our town and village centres. It is proposed that this be continually reviewed as needs change.

What are the next steps?

Now plans are approved, a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) will be submitted, which will include a 21-day feedback period. At the end of the consultation all comments will be considered before we implement any changes to our current parking offer.

Councillor Yusra Hussain, Cabinet Member for Culture and Greener Kirklees, said:

“The council is continuing to review fees and charges across all services, this is to enable us to produce a balanced budget in February. Parking charges have remained static for the last 14 years but due to the current financial climate, we are unable to hold price increases any longer.

“Fee increases are not a decision we make lightly and, while we appreciate that an increase in parking charges will not be welcome news, we will be launching a statutory consultation in the form of a Traffic Regulatory Order (TRO) with a 21-day feedback period. We will then listen to the feedback and make a decision that is right for each area at a local level. The TRO will be out for consultation in the coming weeks.

“Free, timed on-street spaces across the borough will not be affected by the proposals, so there will still be free parking available for those wishing to visit our towns and villages.”