Fees to park in York are set to rise again, as the council says higher charges are having ‘the desired outcome’.
City of York Council is proposing that charges are increased in its main city car parks.
New proposed tariffs would see it cost at least £5 an hour to park in Castle, Bootham Row, Coppergate, Esplanade, Foss Bank, Marygate, Monk Bar, Nunnery Lane, St George’s Field and Union Terrace car parks
That would go up to £5.50 an hour on Friday, Saturday and event days. Currently it costs £4.85 an hour Monday to Thursday, and £5.30 for Friday, Saturday and events.
The figures are revealed in new budget documents to be considered by councillors next week.
Here are the key changes:
York car park price rises April 2026
Scroll to see all the data →
| Length of stay | Sun-Thurs now | Sun-Thurs proposed | Fri, Sat & events now | Fri, Sat & events now | Minster Badge Sun-Thurs now | Minster Badge Sun-Thurs proposed | Minster Badge Fri, Sat, events now | Minster Badge Fri, Sat, events now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 hr | £4.85 | £5.00 | £5.30 | £5.50 | £3.40 | £3.50 | £3.70 | £3.90 |
| 2 hr | £9.70 | £10.00 | £10.60 | £10.90 | £6.80 | £7.00 | £7.40 | £7.60 |
| 3 hr | £11.20 | £11.50 | £13.50 | £13.90 | £7.80 | £8.10 | £9.50 | £9.70 |
| 4 hr | £14.90 | £15.30 | £17.50 | £18.00 | £10.40 | £10.70 | £12.30 | £12.60 |
| 5 hr | £18.60 | £19.20 | £21.50 | £22.10 | £13.00 | £13.40 | £15.10 | £15.50 |
| All day | £22.50 | £25.00 | £15.80 | £17.50 | ||||
| Additional hour | £3.80 | £4.10 | £2.70 | £2.90 | ||||
| Evening* | £4.00 | £4.80 | £2.00 | £2.00 |
There is no longer an all-day charge for these car parks, but every hour over five hours is charged at £3.80/£4.10 and evening parking costs £4/£4.80.
Residents who buy a Minster Badge (£45 for two years) get discounts, but their fees are also due to go up.
A report to the budget executive says: “Car parking charges were significantly increased for 2025/26 with the intention of reducing traffic in the city centre whilst investing in sustainable travel. The policy has seen the desired outcome.”
It says the central car park fees would go up by an average of 3%. Prices would stay the same at suburban car parks – like Bishopthorpe Road and East Parade – and for on-street parking at Micklegate, Priory Street or Lawrence Street.
When the higher charges were brought in last April, council Labour transport spokesperson Cllr Kate Ravilious said the increase was needed to help tackle the congestion throttling York.
She says the council is investing £6 million to improve bus services and make them a more attractive and reliable. And a review of car parking charges in Bishopthorpe Road, Micklegate, The Groves and Heworth is underway.
But many traders fear the higher parking prices are putting people off visiting the city.
Increased parking fees are generating more income for the council. The report says that car park income in the eight months to the end of November is 9% ahead of budget.
“There has been a reduction in the number of transactions (13%), but the average transaction has increased by 40%. This has meant total income is c20% higher than 2024/25.
“The net additional income to the end of November is c£550k and currently forecast to overachieve by £700k.”
Last month York BID said its data showed spending by residents in city centre businesses was down by around £8 million compared to 2024, a 5.7 per cent fall.
The BID has called for parking charges to be reduced during off-peak times to draw people into the city centre during quieter periods.
During the budget consultation, “some concerns were raised around the cost of car parking and the potential impact of this on footfall in the city centre,” the report says.
“Ensuring practical city centre access and loading arrangements to keep trade moving was also mentioned.”
