Motorists in Gloucester have been hit with more than £110,000 in parking fines issued within council-owned car parks during the current financial year. A total of 2,750 fines have been issued so far, generating £110,348 in revenue for Gloucester City Council.
These figures were revealed following a query from Councillor Sajid Patel (Conservative, Barton and Tredworth) regarding the council’s parking fine income over the past two years. Resources Cabinet Member Declan Wilson (Liberal Democrat, Hucclecote) reported that in the 2024/25 financial year, around 3,000 fines issued brought in £124,050.
Cllr Patel expressed concern over the volume of fines, stating, “With the council issuing so many fines in their city centre car parks, it’s little wonder why people are not returning to the city centre anymore and going elsewhere to do their shopping. They have killed off the city centre, and sadly, it’s the businesses that are suffering with a lack of shoppers leading to more and more empty shops. It’s not rocket science—they should have listened to us and frozen or reduced parking charges to encourage more people into the city centre.”
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In response, the council has agreed to review car park fees and charges, including considering the introduction of overnight fees for multi-storey car parks in the city centre. The goal is to increase evening footfall and strengthen the night-time economy by maintaining safe, well-kept, and fully accessible parking facilities.
Cllr Wilson added, “We need to meet the challenge. The cost of running these car parks is increasing every year, and we have an issue with Eastgate and Kingswalk car parks—they are closed at night. I would like to implement a small evening charge that could provide us with the funds to keep these car parks open and in good condition.”
Additionally, the council is exploring options such as extending the grace period and offering discounts on parking permits for smaller vehicles, aiming to balance revenue needs with drivers' convenience.