No choice on council price rises – Wolverhampton City Council leader
'We really have no option but to introduce modest rises' – that was the message from the leader of Wolverhampton City Council as a series of price increases were approved.
New parking charges will be introduced and fees for market traders, bereavement services and pest control will go up, under plans discussed and backed tonight.
Drivers will face Sunday and bank holiday parking charges in the city centre, while car parks that are currently free to use after 5pm will charge £1.
The new £1 evening parking charge will be introduced in School Street, Peel Street and Fold Street car parks.
Reporter Adam Thompson tweeted live from the meeting:
Meanwhile, drivers who park on council car parks on Sundays and Bank holidays will face the same charges as on weekdays. The cost of parking for up to an hour will rise from 50p to 60p every day, while on Sundays drivers will have to pay as much as £4 for a four hour stay or £5.50 for up to five hours.
But the city council today said some parking charges will go down.
The cost of evening parking at Cleveland Street car park will drop from £2 to £1, while charges will also be reduced on Oxford Street and Church Lane car parks. Visitors will pay £1.50 per visit rather than £2.
Council leader Roger Lawrence today said: "Car parks cost a lot of money to run – they have to be cleaned of litter every day, maintained and they are monitored by CCTV and visited by security patrols.
"The fact is you will be able to park in Wolverhampton city centre in a safe, CCTV-monitored, clean car park for just £1 for two hours or £2 for three hours during the day and just £1 for the entire evening. We think this is reasonable."
He added: "In terms of the other fees and charges increases, people will appreciate that we are facing unprecedented reductions to our Government funding and at the same time costs are increasing – so we really have no option but to introduce modest rises."
Costs in some bereavement services will also rise. Interment fees for a first burial will rise from £880 to £968, while exclusive right of burial for 75 years will go from £1,587.30 to £1,746. The cost of being cremated remains will also rise from £274 to £302, while the cost of some urns and caskets will also go up.
