Parking costs reach record levels as cash-grab councils target UK drivers and issue thousands of fines

In 2022, the average cost of daytime parking for a council car park was roughly £1.15, increasing to £1.23 in 2023 and £1.29 in 2024.

Hourly evening parking charged by council-operated car parks in the UK jumped from £1.00 to £1.22 between 2022 and 2024, an increase of 22 per cent.

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Overnight rates also increased by an average of 45 per cent from £1.10 to £1.59 per hour across the UK.

Councils who have introduced overnight parking charges since 2022 have begun charging between £2.90 per hour to as much as £10 in the London Borough of Sutton.

Since 2022, almost a quarter of councils across the UK have increased their parking cost to match inflation.

The FOI detailed how Bracknell Forest Council is currently the most expensive for parking costing drivers £6.65 per hour, followed by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London (£4.90) and Wyre Forest District Council in the West Midlands (£4.05).

The North East of England saw the biggest increase in daytime parking charges, rising by 28 per cent since 2022, followed by the South East (25 per cent) and Scotland (21 per cent).

Nicholas Mantel, head of Churchill Motor Insurance, said: “We know that increased parking charges aren’t all about raising money for councils.

“Often, they are also put in place as a traffic management measure, encouraging people to use alternative transport options.

“With that in mind, no matter their location, drivers should check parking charges in advance of any journey and look to see where they might be able to find a cheaper rate.”

Sandwell in the West Midlands saw notable parking charge increases in the last two years, with the average daytime parking rate going up from 40p to 98p since 2022, a 145 per cent rise.

This is followed by Renfrewshire Council in Scotland which saw prices rise by 108 per cent from 60p to £1.25.

Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council in the North West of England, however, saw an increase of 89 per cent from 88p to £1.66.

Last year, research showed that UK councils issued 46,662 parking fines on average with four London boroughs being named in the top five.

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The London Borough of Newham Council issued 257,788 fines, despite having a population of just 358,645.

The Council issued almost 40,000 more fines than any local authority around the UK and was one of two councils to issue more than 200,000 penalty charge notices.