New public parking rules in England as 1.3 million motorists hit by 'levy'

Drivers in England face a new PARKING tax in the south of the country. In south east England, 1.3 million motorists and road users have been warned they face a brutal change in parking measures and rules as the Cost of Living crisis continues.

Hampshire County Council revealed it will increase its on-street parking costs for roughly 1.3 million people through a 20p “convenience” charge. It means extra fees will be added to drivers who use the online platform RingGo to pay for on-street parking.

The new levy has been replicated by East Hampshire District Council and will impact areas in Alton, Liphook and Petersfield. It will also affect Eastleigh Borough Council and Havant Borough Council in Havant, Waterlooville, Beachlands, and Hayling Island.

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New Forest District Council, Test Valley Borough Council and Winchester City Council are all also impacted. The convenience charge only applies to payments made via the RingGo app. Customers can continue to pay by cash, where available.

They can also continue to pay by card if they wish to avoid paying for the convenience of using RingGo, according to the local authority. The move, which will affect Hampshire County Council’s on-street chargeable parking, is set to generate additional income of between £10,000 and £15,000 every year.

By passing on the convenience fee associated with the RingGo app, the county council will receive the full tariff payable for parking, it has also confirmed. It said this means the parking service will operate on a full cost recovery basis, the local authority has said.

This decision was made after RingGo told the council that most of its clients across the country pass on convenience fees to users, the council also added. The county council is also exploring the National Parking Platform, allowing users to use their preferred parking app at any location.