The petition of the residents of the constituency of Stockton West,
Declares that Stockton Council must keep Yarm’s free 1-hour parking; further declares that free parking is crucial for supporting local businesses, encouraging footfall, and helping Yarm's economy thrive; and further notes that the Council's changes to eliminate 1-hour free parking risks harming small businesses and deterring shoppers.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to take immediate action to ensure that the high street in Yarm is supported with free 1-hour parking.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Matt Vickers, Official Report, 30 January 2025; Vol. 761, c. 523.]
[P003040]
Observations from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Lilian Greenwood):
Responsibility for traffic management on local roads rests with the relevant local authority, as they are best placed to consider how local needs can be effectively met. It is therefore a matter for individual authorities to decide on the nature and scope of parking policies and to balance the needs of residents, emergency services, local businesses and those who work in and visit the areas.
The objective of local parking policies is not to raise revenue. Section 55 of the Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984 requires any surplus raised from parking schemes to be directed to local authority funded transport or environmental schemes.
Statutory guidance recommends a local authority sets its parking charges as part of meeting its wider parking strategy to meet its network management duty under section 16 of the Traffic Management Act 2004. It also says that parking policies should be proportionate, support town centre prosperity and reconcile competing demands for kerb space.
Private car park owners are free to set their own parking terms and conditions.
Responsibility for setting parking charges on local roads rests with the local authorities who are best placed to balance the needs of residents, emergency services, local business and those who work in and visit the area.
The Minister believes that setting on-street parking charges should remain the responsibility of local authorities in accordance with powers available in the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and with their various statutory duties. As well as the level of charges, authorities can also decide how charges are applied, for example differential charges for certain classes of vehicles such as those with diesel engines. Local authorities may also choose to offer preferential rates to zero emission vehicles that, in addition to being cheaper for drivers, benefit the community by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, and noise pollution for cleaner, healthier, and quieter streets. The decisions by authorities should reflect the objectives of their local transport plans.
The Secretary of State’s statutory guidance to local authorities on the civil enforcement of parking contraventions advocates that parking charges should be proportionate and should not be set at unreasonable levels. It also recommends local authorities review their parking policies regularly, including parking charges, to ensure that they remain fit for purpose. The public and the police should be consulted as part of the appraisal process.