Rutland Council Defends Early Parking Charge Increase

Rutland Council Defends Early Parking Charge Increase

Rutland County Council faced questions at its recent meeting regarding an unexpected increase in parking charges. Councillor Powell challenged the administration's decision to raise charges this summer, despite a previous agreement to review them every three years.

Councillor Johnson, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Governance and Resources, responded that the council's parking policy allows for annual reviews. While the intention was to maintain the three-year cycle, the administration deemed it necessary to increase charges earlier to address budget pressures and maximise revenue.

Councillor Powell argued that the decision to increase charges should have been presented to the full council for approval, as per the agreed-upon budget strategy. However, Councillor Johnson defended the administration's actions, stating that frequent council approval for operational budget changes would be impractical.

The exchange highlighted the complexities of balancing budgetary needs with adherence to established policies and procedures. While the council's decision to increase parking charges may have surprised some, it appears to be within the scope of its existing authority.

At the Full Council meeting on 26th February, this council approved the budget for 2024/25
and a number of other recommendations which included the Fees and Charges strategy at
Appendix E. This strategy states that all fees and charges should be reviewed annually
unless agreed otherwise (such as parking fees that are set three yearly). I was therefore
surprised to see that car parking charges were increased this summer with effect from 3
June 2024, when the last increase agreed by this council was in 2022. Please can the
Portfolio Holder explain why the fees and charges strategy decision made in good faith by
this council was not actually implemented as it was presented to us in the papers.