Dramatic drop in Edinburgh's parking income even after charges returned

EDINBURGH City Council's income from pay and display parking declined by up to 31 per cent over the summer despite charges returning.
Pay and display income fell dramatically  Picture: Lisa FergusonPay and display income fell dramatically  Picture: Lisa Ferguson
Pay and display income fell dramatically Picture: Lisa Ferguson

The council stopped charging for on-street parking at the start of the coronavirus lockdown in March and started again towards the end of June.

But new figures show that even with the easing of Covid restrictions, revenue from pay and display parking in the city was dramatically down in July and August.

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In July, total income received for public parking across the city was down from £1,757,587.20 last year to £1,215,270.74 this year – a drop of 30.86 per cent.

And in August, the income was down from £1,842,126.60 last year to £1,531,109.11 this year – a fall of 16.88 per cent.

The revenue from public parking in streets where parking places were affected by the Spaces for People programme.fell from £104,516.35 in July 2019 to £76,992.00 in July 2020 – a decrease of 26.33 per cent.

And it dropped from £96,903.00 in August 2019 to £88,779.20 in August 2020 – down 8.38 per cent.

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It has already been revealed that the council’s loss of income from on-street parking during the suspension of parking charges between March and June totalled around £11.6m.

Tory councillor Nick Cook said: “We already know the Spaces for People programme has come at huge reputational cost for Edinburgh Council. Now it is clear there is a significant financial cost too.

“With the Scottish Government already under-funding our council, a drop in pay and display income of up to 30 percent is concerning. It will renew doubts about the value of this already unpopular scheme.”

Transport convener Lesley Macinnes agreed to a request from Cllr Cook that she should provide regular updates on the situation.

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But she said: “These figures reflect the fact we are in an incredibly fluid situation at the moment. This is a year like no other and we do not yet know how that is going to change and go forward. We have no real understanding, nobody has, about exactly what will happen and when as we go through our recovery stages and back to a more normal situation.”

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