Birmingham residents face parking charges at three beauty spots in the new year

Birmingham residents face having to pay new parking charges at three beauty spots in 2026 despite a wave of opposition to the proposals.

The Labour-run city council, which found itself engulfed by a financial crisis, passed through an alarming wave of ‘savings’ and cuts to local services recently.

One proposal which has been particularly divisive was to bring in parking charges at Sutton Park, Sheldon Country Park and Lickey Hills Country Park.

Amid backlash from residents and opposition councillors, the council launched a formal public consultation on the plans back in August.

“As part of the budget for 2025/26, the principle of charging was agreed to achieve necessary savings and help sustain, protect and maintain our 660 parks and green spaces,” it read.

Birmingham councillor Majid Mahmood, cabinet member for environment, at the neighbourhoods scrutiny meeting on July 16. Permission for use for all LDRS partners.

“Introducing charges at [the three parks] will bring Birmingham in line with similar places around the UK to offset the cost of maintaining this destination site.”

It went on to insist the proposed scheme will provide a number of benefits, including the introduction of parking restrictions to manage the impact of displacement parking for residents who live near the parks.

One question posed to the council during this consultation was whether it had created “new financial barriers to accessing green space”.

“We recognise and fully support the importance of encouraging people to be active for their physical and mental health,” the council said in response. “The introduction of parking charges is not intended to discourage exercise or reduce access to the park.

“Income from parking will be reinvested directly into maintaining and improving the park’s facilities, […] ensuring it remains a safe, attractive and welcoming place for all visitors.

Lickey Hills Country Park. Taken from Google Street View.

“Access to the park remains free – charges are not to use the park but only to park a vehicle.

“Hence, those travelling on foot, bicycle or by public transport would not be charged.”

Responding to a question during the formal consultation for the Lickey Hills charges, the council said the proposed scheme could be implemented around Christmas/New Year.

This would be subject to the outcome of this consultation and the required “governance and procurement processes”, it added.

Bradley Thomas, MP for Bromsgrove, who has slammed Birmingham City Council over proposals to introduce parking charges at Lickey Hills Country Park. Permission for use for all LDRS partners. Pic from Bradley Thomas' office.

What have other political parties said about the parking charges?

With an all-out city council election being held in May 2026, the local Conservatives have pledged to scrap the charges if they come to power.

Coun Robert Alden, Conservative councillor and leader of the opposition, described the new charges are “unfair, unjustified and completely out of touch with the people of Birmingham”.

“Residents have overwhelmingly rejected these charges at every opportunity,” he argued.

“Labour’s charges hit the least well off in the city the most.

Sheldon Country Park in Birmingham. Taken from Google Street View.

“It’s not people who live in walking distance of these beautiful spaces, it’s those living further afield, often with little garden space themselves, who have to drive to be able to access the benefits of the parks.”

The Conservative MP for Bromsgrove has also condemned the proposed charges for Lickey Hills, saying: “We’re quite literally paying the price for Birmingham City Council’s financial mismanagement.”

The Birmingham Liberal Democrats have also fought against the parking plans, with Coun Colin Green saying: “The harm that will be done is beyond bearing for the residents.

“Why is this decision being made – it ought to be looked at again.”

Coun Paul Tilsley added: “This will cause displacement parking in the surrounding roads.

“There are already complaints from residents about anti-social parking.”

Reform UK Birmingham Northfield meanwhile has said the party’s vision is to create a community where access to public spaces is “fair, open, and genuinely inclusive”.

“We believe that removing financial barriers is essential to achieving this goal,” it wrote on Facebook.

What has Birmingham City Council said about the proposals?

The proposals were met with opposition from those who took part in the informal consultation, with a total of 919 respondents (78.4 per cent) feeling access to Lickey Hills should remain free.

For Sheldon Country Park, that figure was 120 respondents (65.9 per cent) while for Sutton Park it was 2,741 respondents (68.2 per cent).

The council has acknowledged that the introduction of parking charges is “often controversial and unpopular”.

But it continued that the projected income from the parking charges still falls short of the cost of maintaining the three parks in question.

“Therefore it is deemed reasonable to ask park users to contribute financially to the upkeep and maintenance of these parks,” it said previously.

“Despite the introduction of parking charges, there will still be a requirement for financial support from the council’s general fund to maintain and manage these parks.”

A council report also stated there was more support for the revised parking charges, which were lower than the previously consulted ones.

The most recent consultation added that surplus revenue from the charges would be used to:

Fund investment opportunities to improve the park e.g. renewable energy projects, improvements in biodiversity.

Provide reinvestment funds for parks infrastructure.

Make improvements to the park and overall visitor experience e.g. pothole and fence repairs.

Coun Majid Mahmood, cabinet member for environment, also said previously there would be a grace period of 30 minutes and free parking permits for park volunteers.