The two-hour tariff that was controversially scrapped as part of a shake-up of car parking fees will be reinstated in Lancaster after public pressure.
Lancaster City Council announced the U-turn today following feedback from local businesses, residents and visitors to the area.
The two-hour tariff is to be reinstated across the council’s Lancaster car parks at a charge of £3.
A two-hour tariff was already in place for Morecambe car parks.
The council has also announced it will cut its new 6pm to 8am charge of £4 in half to £2, for all of its pay-and-display car parks in Lancaster and Morecambe.
A council spokesperson said this was to "simplify and streamline evening charges in council pay and display car parks after 6pm, which range from one hour to all night parking until 8am the following morning".
In addition, the new £5 for 5 hours tariff introduced on the two St Leonard Gate Car Parks in Lancaster, to support the arts and culture sector, will also become an available option at the council’s Moor Mills 1 car park on Bulk Street, Lancaster and Telephone Exchange Car Park in Morecambe. This tariff is available at all times of the day.
The council spokesperson said these changes take into consideration the views of regular car park users and the impact on local people and businesses of the cost of living crisis.
Earlier this year Lancaster City Council announced a radical shake-up of its car parking fees, which came into effect on April 11.
The changes proved widely unpopular with residents.
Councillor Gina Dowding, cabinet member with responsibility for planning and place making, said: “As a council committed to listening to and supporting local businesses, residents and other stakeholders, particularly now we find ourselves in a spiralling cost of living crisis, we have re-considered a number of our tariffs.
“We were acutely aware that there would be a range of views and the introduction of new charges would need to be finely balanced and remain under close review if they are to cater for the needs of everyone, whilst enabling us to balance the books.
"I think these amendments provide a range of affordable options that people have told us are important to them.
“Money raised from parking is a vital source of income that funds many of our vital services and whilst we may have to look for savings in other areas, residents can be assured that we will aim to choose savings that will have the least impact on services and the support we give to our local partner organisations.”
The council said the new tariffs, which came into force in April and May of this year, followed a four-year price freeze on parking in city council pay and display car parks, to provide a more consistent approach, aligning charges, and removing differences between long and short stay car parks.
The revised tariffs resulting from the recent review will come into force once the legal process to introduce the changes has been completed. This is likely to take between eight and 12 weeks.
To see the full car parking charges before the changes announced today, and the tariffs prior to the initial shake-up, see below.
Related story: New car parking charges in Lancaster and Morecambe at-a-glance - Beyond Radio
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