Portsmouth council leader warns infrastructure projects could be delayed or scrapped due to parking fee losses

Portsmouth City Council has warned residents that nothing is off the table, as it looks to plug a Covid-sparked £20m black hole in its budget.

The news comes as the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) warned that the city is expected to lose around £3.2m in lost parking charges due to lockdown measures.

Council leader, Cllr Gerald Vernon-Jackson, says the lost money will hurt residents.

He said: ‘The money people put into parking meters goes straight back into the city’s transport infrastructure. It pays for new traffic lights, pedestrian crossings and much more.

‘During the pandemic we have allowed for free parking, but also people weren’t heading out to the shops or the seafront.

‘Because of this, losing money was inevitable for us, and it’ll be the same for other councils in the area.’

Overall, the city council believes it has lost £32m through the coronavirus pandemic.

Government funding for local authorities has granted Portsmouth £12m – but Cllr Vernon-Jackson has previously described that as a ‘drop in the ocean’.

As it stands, there is talk of the government refunding councils for up to 75 per cent of lost parking fees.

But the council leader says this might not be invested back into the city due to the size of the council’s debts.

Cllr Vernon-Jackson said: ‘We are still deciding what we would do with that money.

‘Everything has to be looked at and we can’t take anything off the table. But the harsh reality is that there will be delays to projects, and some stuff will not be going ahead at all.

‘Rest assured we are working very hard to make sure we can deliver the services that people expect.’

Cllr Vernon-Jackson hopes that the government will offer more money to local authorities.

From the same report published by MHCLG about lost parking fees, Gosport Borough Council is expected to lose £1.1m, Fareham £1.7m, Havant £2.3m and Hampshire County Council is predicted to lose £1.9m.

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