Council reveals car parking charge plans

Carmarthenshire County Council has adopted a structured approach to the levy of car parking charges across Llanelli, Carmarthen and its market towns.

This ensures that the competitive position of each town is maintained against surrounding towns, neighbouring authorities and out of town developments.
Currently demand for car parking in town centres is high and this trend is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
The authority’s charging structure is extremely competitive with towns in our neighbouring authorities, especially if one considers the true costs of journeys by car, to other town centres across South West Wales and the current cost of fuel.
Continued investment is required in the council’s car parking stock to ensure facilities are maintained to the required standard and improved wherever possible. This is only possible through the generation of appropriate revenues.
Car parking charges also make a positive contribution to the Authority’s overall Revenue budget, which like all other authorities in Wales is facing severe financial pressures over four years. Income from car parking charges can help to mitigate these pressures and thereby assist in protecting key services being delivered by the Authority.
It is recommended that parking charges should be increased gradually over the next four years as set out in the table below -

It is anticipated that increasing car parking charges as set out above will generate an additional revenue of £710,500 per annum by March 2014.
Last year the overly generous opportunity to buy season tickets at 50per cent of the daily charge rate was reduced to 35per cent
And from January 1st this year it has been reduced to 20per cent.
It is anticipated that reducing the discount from 50% to 20% will generate additional income of £51,000 per annum.