A councillor and a BID manager have joined local traders in reacting with anger to proposals from North Yorkshire Council (NYC) officers to significantly increase parking charges in a number of car parks in Ripon.
An update on this story is avail from YorkMix here
The proposals, which will be considered by Cllr Malcolm Taylor (Executive Member for Highways ) on Friday this week, suggest increasing the hourly rate at Ripon’s Arcade Car Park from 80p to £2.20 and on the Market Place from £1.30 to £2.20 with the introduction of charges in the evening as well. At the moment it’s free to park after 6pm.
There are similar large increases proposed in Knaresborough and Harrogate.
Independent Cllr Andrew Williams, who represents the Ripon Minster and Moorside Division, says the idea is foolish, ill thought and half baked. He’s been backed by Lilla Bathurst, Manager of Ripon BID too. They are calling on Cllr Taylor to reject the recommendations out of hand.
Cllr Williams said: “These proposals have not been the subject of any consultation with local business groups, elected members or parish councils. They show a complete and total lack of understanding as to how the economy of North Yorkshire works. The hospitality sector is struggling as it is without council officers suggesting evening car parking charges which will simply make things worse”
Cllr Williams says that he has spoken at length to Cllr Taylor and also Cllr Carl Les, the Leader of the Council, and has called upon them to ditch most of the proposals contained in the officer report.
He has further condemned a press release issued by the authority which claimed that spending £2m of the revenue from the increased charges on new machines for the public to pay their parking fee represented an investment in the service.
Cllr Williams commented “An investment in the service would be to ensure that the car park surfaces such as the Ripon Market Place are actually level, whilst ticket machines may need replacing due to their age, that is not an investment, it’s simply protecting the revenue stream for the council.”
Lilla Bathurst from Ripon BID (Business Improvement District) also issued a statement.
“North Yorkshire Council’s proposed parking tariff increases — including the introduction of evening charges and significant uplifts across off-street and on-street parking — are fundamentally incompatible with the needs of our market towns.
“Places like Ripon, Skipton and Knaresborough rely on accessible, fairly priced parking to support their independent businesses, visitor economy and vibrant high streets.
“These rises risk pushing visitors away from North Yorkshire altogether.
“The Council’s own report highlights the scale of the increases, including a 10% uplift on all fees and new evening charges designed to generate additional revenue . Yet there has been absolutely no consultation with Business Improvement Districts, organisations that work daily with traders, hospitality venues and local employers who will feel the impact most sharply.
“A 175% increase in the parking charge for the Arcade car park and a 125% increase for Knaresborough’s Fisher Street is totally unreasonable.
“Introducing charges after 6pm will be devastating for the evening economy, discouraging people from coming into town for meals, events and cultural activities.
“At the same time, higher daytime tariffs will inevitably push more cars onto already pressured residential streets, creating conflict and reducing the quality of life for local communities.
“This can be evidenced in Ripon by the lack of people parking in the evening at the Tesco car park which currently has 24/7 charges. Market towns thrive when they are welcoming, accessible and easy to visit.
“These proposals move North Yorkshire in the opposite direction.”
Credit – Google
Council chiefs estimate the changes will give the authority a £3.563m boost in 2026/27
It will affect the council’s 170 car parks, as well as on-street parking and residents’ parking schemes.
The authority says the rebalancing is needed to ensure fairness and consistency, with parking previously overseen by North Yorkshire’s seven former borough and district councils.
The changes will see parking fees introduced on Sundays and evenings in areas of the county where parking is currently free at these times.
An additional cost is planned for second permits in existing residential zones to account for the increasing number of houses with multiple vehicles.
But the council has decided that blue badge parking will be free in all council-run car parks in future.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for highways and transport, Councillor Malcolm Taylor, said: “The changes to parking charges are part of our vision for a unified system that is consistent for everyone.
“After positive discussions with disability groups, we are pleased to be able to offer free parking for blue badge holders, meaning some areas will see them removed altogether.
“We have carefully reviewed the charges to ensure they deliver the best possible value while enabling the service to remain financially self-sustaining.
“In many cases, our rates are more affordable than privately managed car parks and are competitive with those set by neighbouring authorities.”
The parking plans will be discussed at a meeting next between Cllr Taylor and the council’s corporate director of environment, Karl Battersby.
