The Labour Government seem intent on making everyday life harder and more expensive for the people of West Sussex. Harming our economy, they've already cancelled the much-needed A27 Arundel bypass and taken away the Winter Fuel Allowance from 180,000 West Sussex pensioners. Labour's budget on the 30th October is not likely to support our residents, especially our motorists with a fuel duty rise in the pipeline.
West Sussex Conservatives are keen to support our town centres and local economy. Therefore, we are pleased to announce that for the year ahead, we are freezing on-street parking charges at current levels in West Sussex to help residents and visitors to the county.
With the backing of Conservative County Councillors, Cllr Joy Dennis, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, announced the decision today, following the annual review of charges, which could otherwise have meant increases from 1 October 2024.
Three options were put forward for her consideration:
- To increase all the charges by 5.2%, in line with the Retail Price Index (as of December 2023).
- A mix of Retail Price Index increases and “demand management” to try to free up on-street parking spaces where they are in greatest demand.
- To freeze parking charges.
Councillor Joy Dennis decided on option 3, saying:
“I hope this decision will be welcome news. It aims to help both West Sussex residents, businesses and visitors to the county in what continues to be a financially challenging time.
“We hope that this will help people who would otherwise struggle to meet increased on-street parking fees and, in turn, support town centre businesses, in line with our Council Plan priority of supporting a sustainable and prosperous economy across the county.”
Note that the county council is responsible for on-street parking and its charges, while off-street parking is controlled by the district and borough councils or by private operators. The exception to this is the car park at Crawley Library, which is controlled by the county council.