Drivers in a major UK city are set to be slapped with expensive parking costs as the local authority looks to remove free parking, as the council looks to make £34million in savings.
Milton Keynes City Council has proposed scrapping all remaining free parking spaces in the city centre, replacing them with paid options.
The bold move comes just four months after the council hiked minimum stay charges in the area. Under the new plans, all free and limited-waiting bays in Central Milton Keynes would be converted to paid parking.
These would include the standard tariff (purple) and premium tariff (red) bays already in use throughout the city centre.
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Drivers could soon see free parking spaces disappear from Milton Keynes
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The proposal has sparked immediate criticism from opposition councillors and concern among residents who rely on free parking for quick errands and appointments.
The council's consultation on the parking changes opened on April 4 and will run until April 24, 2025. Residents have been invited to share their views before a final decision is made.
The proposal would see all free parking spaces replaced with paid options already established in the city.
Standard tariff bays currently cost £1 per hour for the first two hours, then 50p per hour thereafter. Premium bays charge £2.50 for the first hour, followed by £2 per hour.
Many locals rely on the free bays for quick errands, pick-ups or appointments in the city centre. Workers commuting into Central Milton Keynes also use these spaces to help offset rising transport costs.
Conservative councillors have criticised the proposal, warning it could hit the most vulnerable residents hardest.
Leader of the city's Conservatives, Cllr Shazna Muzammil, called the plan "another potentially devastating blow" to central Milton Keynes.
She warned that the changes threaten market traders, students, residents and small business owners, as well as emphasising that parking was "not a luxury" for many people.
More than 1,200 residents previously signed a petition protesting when parking charges were increased late last year, with local businesses also being particularly vocal that shoppers could be deterred from the city centre.
The council has justified the proposal in documents, stating it's "based on the results of the Council's Strategic Review of Parking" designed to assess parking pressures citywide.
The changes would affect approximately 300 spaces out of 21,000 overall in the city, including areas that previously served a food store that has been demolished.
Cllr Peter Marland, Labour leader of Milton Keynes City Council, defended the proposal, noting that Milton Keynes remains "one of the major shopping destinations in the country".
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Milton Keynes City Council's consultation is set to end before the end of the month
GETTYHe highlighted that the city centre attracted "over 20 million visits last year, an increase of 1.5 per cent, while many other high streets struggle".
Marland added: "Council standard bay spaces cost around 83p an hour for a three-hour stay, which is relatively cheap in comparison to most other major city centres and privately owned car parking in the city," he said.
The council leader also clarified there are "no plans to charge for disabled spaces".
Milton Keynes City Council needs to find "at least £34 million in savings over the next few years to keep going".
