Survey shows cost of residential parking permits s aa asa

A report by comparethemarket.com today revealed the costs of first car parking permits nationwide with Portsmouth as one of the most wallet friendly.

At an average of £30 a year the permits, issued by Portsmouth City Council, are a staggering £100 cheaper than those in Brighton and less than half the cost of the national average which were found to be £77.

They were also discovered to be much cheaper than those in Chichester, which cost £79 a year, and Canterbury (£97).

Portsmouth City Council’s cabinet member for traffic and transportation, Cllr Simon Bosher, said: ‘The city permits are there to alleviate some of the parking issues that we have. I have worked very hard to make sure they are as affordable as possible.

‘We don’t see the permits as a cash cow. The costs of the permits are cost neutral when you take into account the admin behind them.’

In 2017 more than 13,000 permits were issued in Portsmouth, bringing in a revenue of £412,000. Although the permits were originally free, the prices haven’t increased since 2015, and the first car permit is set to remain the same price for the next two years.

On the other hand, parking permits for second and third cars in Portsmouth were considerably more pricey, costing £60 and £510 respectively last year and due to increase to £120 and £630 by 2020.

Bristol had the second cheapest permits in the south at £36 a year, and these brought in almost £1.5m – the highest figure across the country.

The cheapest permits nationwide could be found in Wales, the midlands and the north of England. Some permits, such as in Liverpool, Bradford and Leeds, were revealed to be free. Cardiff had the second cheapest permit nationally at only £7.50 a year.

In contrast the most expensive was in Sunderland which on average cost £262, bucking the trend of neighbouring cities Newcastle and Durham which only charged £25 and £35.

Dan Hutson, head of motor at comparethemarket.com, explained why the analysis was carried out. He said: ‘While many of us take for granted the ability to park outside our home without having to worry about a permit, our research shows that’s not the case for every city.

‘Parking permits may not always be at the front of your mind when you’re first getting on the road or moving home, so it can often be a fee which is overlooked and unexpected.’