Burnham-On-Sea residents could see increases in parking charges as part of plans by Somerset Council to review parking fees across the county.
There are currently different rates and charging principles applied across the county’s 200 or so council-run car parks, and the system has not been reviewed since Somerset Council came into being in 2023.
The proposals – which could come into force in the autumn – would see car parking charges being extended beyond 6pm on weekdays, and the scrapping of free parking where it is currently available in some towns and villages.
Four key changes are proposed, which would take effect from October 1st:
- Implementing a Somerset-wide £1 overnight car parking charge (which could raise £100,000 in the first six months)
- Implementing Sunday parking charges at all council car parks (raising £162,000)
- Introducing charges of £2 per day into car parks which are currently free (raising £175,000)
- Introducing on-street charging to limited waiting bays – with 20 minutes being free, followed by £1 per hour and a daily rate of £3 (raising £225,000)
A council spokesperson says: “The aim of the proposals is to bring consistency and ensure the service continues to be completely self-funded to cover staffing, serving and administrating penalty notices, and managing and maintaining car parks to a high level.”
In order to ensure the proposed changes are successfully implemented, the council predicts it will have to spend nearly £198,000 on enforcement and maintenance between October 2025 and the end of the 2025/26 financial year.
This will also “provide resources for the exploration of other initiatives that cannot currently be progressed” – such as charging all year round along Burnham-On-Sea seafront, new residential permit areas, and using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) to aid with enforcement.
Even with the additional enforcement cost, the increase in charges is expected to raise more than £464,000 in additional income, which can be used to fund other front-line services. Based upon current trends and population growth, the council anticipates this additional income will rise to just under £1.1m in 2026/27 and around £1.8m in 2027/28.
Somerset Council’s Lead Member for Transport and Waste, Councillor Richard Wilkins, adds: “We have many car parks in Somerset and there are significant costs and challenges involved in running and maintaining them.”
“It’s really important we bring fairness and uniformity in charges across the county and in turn the extra income will help ensure the parking service is fully self-financed and can continue to be run, staffed and maintained properly.”
The proposals will be discussed in detail by the council’s corporate and resources scrutiny committee when it meets in Taunton on Monday February 24th at 1pm, before coming before the executive committee two days later.
If the executive approves the proposals, they will go out to formal public consultation, with the final changes being implemented from October 1st. The council will set its annual budget in Bridgwater on March 5th, which will include a breakdown of any other fees or charges which will be raised.
The Liberal Democrat administration has argued the changes are essential to ensuring parking charges are fairer across Somerset and that the service could be adequately maintained. Upon its creation in April 2023, Somerset Council inherited a multitude of different charging rates from the four district councils and Somerset County Council, covering around 200 council-run car parks and a swathe of on-street locations.
The plans have been criticised by the council’s opposition Conservative group, which argues the changes would hurt Somerset’s economy and put further pressure on household budgets. It has launched a petition against the proposals.
Bridgwater Labour councillors have reacted angrily with Jacqui Solomon calling it “appalling greed” and Brian Smedley urging for the transfer of car parks to Town Councils “as originally promised.”
