Car park revenues in Shropshire to fall by £500k
The amount of money brought in from public car parks across Shropshire is expected to fall by more than £500,000 this year, new figures have shown.
Officials say the fall has come from price freezes and the decision to offer cheaper parking around special events in the county.
But they say the loss has been offset by an increase in money coming in for fines levied against utility companies whose roadworks overrun.
A report which will go before Shropshire Council's cabinet on Wednesday says forecast car park income for 2013/14 is down by £530,000.
Councillor Claire Wild, cabinet member with responsibility for car parking, said: "The income we get from our car parks has gone down and this is an on-going trend.
"This is mainly down to our policy decisions not to increase parking charges over the last three years, offer reduced, and sometimes free, tariffs on a Sunday and offer free parking for special events.
"The intention of these initiatives is to make it more attractive for people to come into our town centres and stay longer on Sundays. It's all about helping people to spend more time enjoying them during a period which is so important to businesses."
The report says that the loss has been offset partly by income from road closures and penalties and partly from reduced expenditure in transport initiatives and concessionary fares.
Shropshire Council currently charges utility companies if their work overruns. A new permit scheme will be in place from April 1 2014. Under the scheme, utility companies will have to apply for permission before digging up roads and will be charged a fee for carrying out the work. The amount they are charged will depend on the severity and duration of the works and the type of road they are working on.
Council spokeswoman Laura Owen said the fall in transport initiatives and concessionary fares spending reflected the number of trips taken by card holders across the county.
She said: "Reductions or growth in this spend are led simply by passenger trip numbers and resulting claims from operators, rather than a reduced allocation of budget."
