Edinburgh City Council has proposed steep increases in parking charges, with rates rising by up to 17% across key areas of the Scottish capital starting April 1, aiming to tackle an £8 million budget deficit.
Popular tourist spots such as George Street, St Andrew Square, and the West End could see hourly rates climb to £9, while permit fees for diesel vehicles will jump by 16%.
Motorists face a double blow as the hikes coincide with new national Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) charges, including the introduction of taxes for electric vehicles and higher first-year rates for hybrids.
The council argues the increases are necessary to offset rising costs and meet environmental goals, though the proposals have sparked concerns about affordability amid a wider cost-of-living crisis in the UK.
Image credit: Adam Wilson
You mean like Wilson’s Parking of NZ$30+ per hour in Welly or Auckland?
I have a Handicapped Parking placard, and Wilson’s won’t even call back or e-mail with regards to making a Disabled Parking spot reserved ahead of time in another city.
And- they are unreachable by phone.
But they’re sure not lacking when calling a tow vehicle to take your Special Needs vehicle and impound the same (theft by false decree???) or imposing private fines in the same way a loan shark imposes 80% interest.
The PLN (Parking Lot Nazis) who price-gouge need to be investigated by the Commerce Commission (who never seem to do their job, by fobbing the problems off to another agency…) or the Ombudsman.
There as here: we urgently need a DOGE to tackle millions of $/£ of budget deficit brought on by corporate corruption, blatant theft and embezzlement.
You can throw out politicians every three years, Cuntcil bureaucracy is FOREVER!