Leader denies parking charge hike is 'cash cow'

The leader of Liverpool Council has defended the second increase in car parking charges in 12 months, insisting fees and fines are not being used as a "cash cow."

The cost of parking on street in the city centre for half an hour has gone up by 10p to £2.40 while a two-hour stay is now £6.80.

Some businesses have claimed the increase in charges has affected trade. Chef Paul Askew, who runs a city centre restaurant, described it as "another death knell for hospitality".

But, speaking on BBC Radio Merseyside, council leader Liam Robinson said there were strict rules about how the money could be spent, and that the additional revenue would be invested in parking enforcement.

Robinson said he was "not trying to belittle the fact lots of people are finding it tougher with the cost of living", but added the council "hadn't reviewed city centre car parking for 30 years".

"So when we did it last year it was always going to be quite a big change from what people had been used to," he said.

Until summer 2025, it was free to park on-street in the city centre after 18:00. Parking charges rose again in April.

A 30-minute stay within the inner parking zone – which is now chargeable from 07:00 to 23:00 – has gone up by 10p from £2.30 to £2.40. A two-hour stay has risen to £6.80 from £6.50, while up to four hours, or five hours after 18:00, now costs £11, up from £10.60.

On average, across all council managed spaces, including Victoria Street, Paddington Village, Mount Pleasant and Kings Dock car parks, the price of parking has risen by an average of 4%.

Robinson said the money raised through the parking charges was reinvested into the enforcement team, who are "working out and about around the clock" to tackle poor parking.

He said the additional resource had already seen results, with over 500 tickets issued in one operation at the weekend, to people mainly parking in designated taxi ranks.

He rejected the suggestion that the council was using the increased charges as a money-maker.

He said: "We're not allowed to use it as a cash cow because it has to go back into enforcement.

"One of the things people often bring up is problem parking, both in the city centre and in different communities, so that's why we've been upping our game with enforcement right across the city."

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