Year-round parking charges in Southsea set to be approved by Portsmouth City Council

Seafront parking charges are expected to be in place all year round
Picture: Malcolm Wells — Seafront parking charges are expected to be in place all year round Picture: Malcolm Wells

Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, the cabinet member for transport will be asked to approve the change which is expected to earn the council tens of thousands of pounds a year. The proposal to extend the seasonal parking charges beyond the current March to November arrangement which was included in this year’s council budget as one of a series of measures aimed at closing a shortfall in funding.

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Six objections were made during the traffic regulation order consultation to make the changes permanent, prompting a final decision to go to Cllr Vernon-Jackson’s decision meeting on Thursday (October 12).

The objectors said the proposal had left them “upset” and “dismayed” leaving people living in the area facing increased costs for car parking outside of the busier summer period.

“Living along the Southsea seafront we have to put up with limited parking and trolls of visitors that make living in Southsea so busy and hectic in the summer months,” one of the anonymous objectors said. “The winter months is where I get my solace, and the reason why I moved to Southsea.

“All that will happen with the parking fees is push people to park in the side streets and making it even harder to park.”

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Another added: “I understand the economy has been in state of flux with the energy crisis and the war in the Ukraine, however it feels to us that you just see your council tax payers and locals as a money pit to be bled dry, instead of looking at creative ways to raise income through better promotion of the city.”

Despite this opposition, a council report recommends the charges be introduced, which it said would address the “mismatch” of charging systems across the seafront.

“A more complicated tariff structure can confuse drivers and it is recommended that there is a clear all-year tariff at each location,” it says.