In this opinion piece, York tourism expert Jay Commins urges councillors to think again before committing ‘highway robbery’
At the point where businesses in York are still feeling the impact of the latest huge leap in parking fees in York, City of York Council are about to consider another uplift, as they face another year where the budget simply will not stretch to cover the costs.
Behind this, we’re told, is the goal of reducing traffic – an environmental aim – and reducing congestion in the city centre, encouraging people to use public transport.
The figures provided suggest that this has already started working, with 13% fewer car parking transactions, but the average transaction increasing by 40%, giving an overall increase in parking revenue of 20% – an estimated £700k across the year.
Taken on their own, these are impressive figures, but when viewed in a wider context, they show a very worrying trend.
Resident visits to the city are down 10% over two years ago – the ‘quick nip’ into the city centre is no longer happening, Let’s be honest, using the bus to do this costs around £3.90 per adult, so nearly £8 for two adults just to pop in. Far easier to visit an out-of-town venue with free parking.
And, of course, York welcomes millions of day trippers each year. Currently, you can park midweek all day for £22.50 (£25 at the weekend).
Under the new proposals, in which the capped day rate is abandoned, the cost rises to £47.40 for someone arriving at 9am and leaving at 10pm – the maximum five hours is £22.10, plus four hours at the hourly rate of £4.10 and then the evening rate of £4.20 after 6pm.
It is £29.10 with a Minster Badge. You don’t need to meet Dick Turpin at York Dungeon to experience highway robbery. It is cheaper to get a parking ticket for £50, reduced to £25 if paid within 14 days, than pay for a full day’s parking.
Whilst the green credentials for this policy are admirable, this is not prompting people to use public transport; it is making them stay away, an impact which will only be exacerbated as more people fail to return.
Visit England’s latest report highlights the trend of people returning to somewhere they enjoyed for a visitor experience, rather than risking somewhere new, so York should be capitalising on this. The reality is that a return visit will see them empty their wallets before they can even start the experience.
Is this conjecture? No. This is what the data that is collected by City of York Council and York BID shows.
Sales in December (card transactions made in the city centre) were down 4.6% on the previous year – an 8% decrease in real terms when you account for inflation.
This is despite a very strong start to the year, when figures were buoyant – I do not believe it is a coincidence that the decline started after the parking prices were substantially increased.
Footfall – which had been rising, despite reduced spending – also decreased in December. We didn’t have the storms of 2024, so what could be a major cause of this drop?
York isn’t London. There isn’t a really strong infrastructure of public transport running at all hours which would encourage people to ride rather than park. Improvements in the operating hours of the Park & Ride are still in their infancy – but still only run until 10.30pm, and overnight parking has yet to be permitted, which is no use to any tourists staying in city centre hotels.
What councillors seem to be ignoring is that most people don’t have unlimited funds when they come for a day or more in York. If you feel you’ve been fleeced by the parking when you arrive, you’ll be more careful with your spending during the day, and this will impact attractions and hospitality venues.
With many of these businesses facing huge hikes in business rates from 1 April, it is easy to predict that more of the businesses – particularly the small businesses of which York is so proud – will become financially unviable. We’ll see more empty shops, and more people out of work. That is not in anyone’s best interests.
So my plea to councillors – based on the data you already have, delay any increases in parking rates by at least 12 months whilst more data on the impact is gathered. The changes made in April 2025 are already impacting the city centre in a negative way; businesses will fail if rates continue to rise well above inflation to offset other budget shortfalls.
Listen to the voices of business leaders in the city, and do not put the future of the 17,000 people who work in tourism – and many more in retail – at risk by a short-sighted need for income, dressed up as environmental policy.
- Jay Commins is a tourism marketing expert, a member of York’s Tourism Advisory Board and Make It York’s Members’ Advisory Board
- City of York Council will decide on the car parking charges as part of its budget meeting on 12 February
