A public consultation on proposals to introduce Sunday charges in Somerset Council car parks starts today (Monday, 8 September).
There are currently different charging principles applied across the county’s 200+ Council-run car parks, and the system has not been reviewed since Somerset Council came into being in 2023. The Sunday charging proposals are the start of a process aimed at harmonising charging practices across the county.
The proposal to consult on Sunday charges, approved by Executive earlier in the year, gives the public a chance to have their say before any final decisions are taken.
Under the previous five councils there were different approaches to Sunday charges in car parks. This means that there are currently Sunday charges at many car parks, including for example in Watchet, Minehead, Wells, Glastonbury, Cheddar, Street, Frome, Shepton Mallet, Williton and Burnham-on-Sea. However, there are no charges currently in Taunton, Wellington, Bridgwater, Chard. Crewkerne, Yeovil and Highbridge.
The aim of the proposal is to bring consistency across Somerset while also ensuring the parking service continues to be completely self-funded to cover staffing, serving and administrating penalty notices, and managing and maintaining car parks to a high level.
Somerset Council’s Lead Member for Transport and Waste, Councillor Richard Wilkins said:
I would encourage everyone to have their say – this is a really important consultation and we will be considering everyone’s views before final decisions are taken.
We have many car parks in Somerset and there are significant costs and challenges involved in running and maintaining them.
The proposal is about ensuring more consistency and fairness in charges across the county and in turn the extra income will help ensure the parking service is fully self-financed and can continue to be run, staffed and maintained properly.
The Council’s Executive also committed to public consultation on the potential introduction of on-street charging (after a free 30-minute stopover) and charging in free car parks.
These proposals will be developed following further engagement on an area by area basis with local members and town and parish councils, and further public consultation.
The consultation on Sunday charges will run for six weeks from 8 September until 20 October. The proposals will then be considered at the Council’s Climate and Place Scrutiny Committee before final decisions are taken at Executive on 3 December. If agreed, any changes would not come into effect until 2026.
