Residents who pay to park outside their homes in Gloucestershire are likely to be charged more next year, according to new county council plans.

Residential parking permits could rise to £60 for first permits and £120 for the cost of a second car if plans are approved today (Wednesday).

Residents across the county would pay £10 more for one permit and £20 more for two.

And Gloucestershire County Council could increase the amount drivers pay to park in all on-street parking zones in Gloucester, Cheltenham and Cirencester.

Parking in the centre of Cheltenham for example would cost £3.40 for two hours, while parking in central Gloucester would cost £3 for the same period of time.

The main reason the county council plan to charge drivers more to park is to manage the high demand of parking in Cheltenham and Gloucester.

Under the proposals, the county council would:

  • Charge drivers parking in Cheltenham’s Arle Court Park and Ride but not using the bus service £6 all day, and £3 after 1pm.
  • Introduce the same measure to Gloucester’s Waterwells Park and Ride but £2 all day, and £1 after 1pm.
  • Increase the price of business permits to £300 from £250, and charge businesses £50 more to park their car in Imperial Square in Cheltenham.
  • Increase the parking charges for Ashchurch and Cam and Dursley station car parks to £3.60 per day, and £2.20 after 9:30am.
  • Raise the charge of parking on-street in Cirencester to £1.30, from £1.

The county council do not plan to charge Park and Ride bus users, according to a council report.

The parking charge to Arle Court Park and Ride comes as employees in nearby businesses such as GCHQ and the BMW garage have been reportedly using the car park to park for free.

If approved at a cabinet meeting next week, the new charges will come into effect from April 2019.

The council say the new charges would align prices with district councils, which “will help reduce congestion and improve road safety”.

Councillor David Norman, the cabinet member responsbile for parking, said the cost of residents parking permits has not increased for eight years, and remains lower than the cost in 2011.

Mr Norman (C, Grange and Kingsway) said: “The charges in many of our town and city centre parking bays have not increased in more than ten years and our business and resident permit costs have been frozen since 2011 – despite increasing enforcement costs and more demand for on street parking spaces. We set our charges looking at districts’ on-street parking fees – they know their local areas best and we follow their lead carefully.

“Any money we make from parking, funds our parking service costs, with any extra going to other improvements in traffic management, road improvements, subsidised buses and concessionary transport, that help reduce the pressure on the roads.”

Liberal Democrat leader Paul Hodgkinson said: “The increased cost of residents’ parking permits is a poor Christmas present from the Conservatives. An increase of 20 per cent, nearly ten times the rate of inflation, are wholly unjustified at a time when all families are feeling the pinch.

“Residents’ permits were welcomed by many in the county, however cost increases were not part of the bargain, with families now having to fork out nearly £200 just to park their cars. This is yet another clear example of how Conservative austerity in Westminster is directly hitting Gloucestershire’s residents.”

Gloucestershire County Council’s cabinet are likely to approve the rise in charges at a council meeting on December 19, from 10am.