Car park charges set to resume in Horsham

Payments were originally suspended in all car parks owned by Horsham District Council at the start of lockdown - and lost the council around £750,000 a month in revenue.

Now the council has announced that charges will resume from Monday (June 15) when many non-essential shops are allowed to reopen following the easing of restrictions.

A council spokesman said: “Other councils in West Sussex have either never stopped car park charging or resumed doing so today (June 8).

“Parking charges were suspended in all Horsham District Council owned car parks to help residents park more safely, support key workers and avoid road congestion during the Coronavirus situation.

“With full lockdown measures in place and many people staying at home there was a shortage of on-street parking spaces, especially for the key workers travelling to and from work. The car parks provided a space for residents to park safely without adding to road congestion.”

During lockdown the council says it has been using its financial reserves to cover a loss of income of some £0.75million a month.

Council cabinet member for the local economy and Paul Clarke said:“With lockdown restrictions being relaxed and people now able to travel freely, the pressure on street parking spaces has decreased significantly.

“Central Government has substantially eased lockdown restrictions. Many people are now able to return to work and more shops will be able to open.

“With the reopening of our town centres and workplaces, parking charges will help us to manage the demand for parking and ensure there is regular turnover of spaces, so people have space to park when they want to visit our towns and go shopping.

“Car parks are a major capital investment for councils and while suspending charges during the lockdown was the right action to take, the council lost substantial income over that period.

“This is an unsustainable situation if we are to maintain our services to residents. We need to take action to try to restore our income as soon as possible.

“NHS staff and care workers with a valid permit on display will continue to receive free parking in our car parks and designated on street parking bays.”

Meanwhile, signs are to be installed in car parks to remind people of the importance of continuing to follow social distancing when getting in and out of vehicles or moving around the car park.

People are also being urged to pay by setting up an online autopay account to avoid contact with payment machines or to buy an annual parking disc for use in village car parks.

People can sign up for ANPR autopay at https://www.horsham.gov.uk/parking/autopay or for an Annual Parking Disc at: https://www.horsham.gov.uk/parking/car-park-season-tickets/annual-parking-disc

Additionally, people can choose to pay by using the RingGo smartphone app. RingGo is available in all council town centre pay and display car parks.

However, if people choose to use a payment machine signs will be on display to remind them to follow Government guidelines on social distancing and hand washing.

Season ticket holders will automatically have additional time added to the end of their subscription period.

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