'The city is dead as it is already!' Wolverhampton weighs in on controversial parking charge hike

The new charges at three of the council's car parks will see the full-day charge of £4.50 rise by more than half from Monday, November 4, with those travelling to the city centre by car expected to pay a heavy fee of £6 for a stay of up to six hours, or £9 for a full day instead.

The council-owned car parking spaces account for 41.8 percent of the city centre's provision, with everyone from shoppers to students using them as an alternative to the privately-owned NCP car parking.

Now, Wolverhampton drivers have said they are concerned for the city following changes, fearing that "it is dead as it is already".

George and Sally Dale said: "It's going to be terrible. The city is dead as it is already. People are going to be scared off by the cost of parking around here.

"I think it should be free parking. They're trying to get people into the city."

Zena Richards, who visited the city with her daughter to pick up wedding items, said she thinks the rise in fees will help the environment, but may scare people away.

Zena said: "I think it may be a good thing. It will get more people to consider public transport instead of parking in the city.

"The problem is that Merry Hill isn't too far away, so it may push people to there where they can park for free. It can go either way."

Shoppers and residents weren’t the only ones worried about their parking future, with students of the nearby University of Wolverhampton also concerned about where they would park following the axing of their free bus shuttle service.

Diana Islam, 21, a business management student at the University of Wolverhampton, said: "I can't believe it, it's a bit shocking - we already lost the free shuttle bus, now this.

"The thing is, where are the students going to park? A lot of students use these car parking spaces because they are cheaper, but they won't be able to afford £9 a day. They're going to be in trouble."

The changes will see the minimum stay charge at the Birch Street, Broad Street and Faulkland Street car parks raised to £6 for up to four hours, with stays longer than four hours costing £9.

Wolverhampton Council said that the Zone 1 car parking spaces (Church Lane, Clifton Street, Oxford Street, and Peel Street) are focused more towards longer stays, and all-day charges at those locations will remain at £4.50.

A spokesperson for the council said: "It is important to point out that like other councils, we are facing significant financial challenges, needing to save £33 million over the next three years.

"The new charges, which are comparable with neighbouring local authorities, are expected to generate an additional £1m a year towards the budget challenges.

"This money will also help protect critical frontline services and provide support for the most vulnerable and needy in the city.

"Having well-maintained car parking facilities to serve customers coming in is an important part of Wolverhampton's future development and builds on the major investment being made in the city centre.

"Seasonal parking permits are available on all city centre car parks and discounts apply at 10 per cent per quarter, and 20 per cent per annum. A discount of up to 25 per cent is also available for those purchasing business permits.

"The prices have been zoned so they remain cheaper outside of the city centre and other incentives will be considered to encourage visitors in too."