Five councils might take over (and start charging for) car parks.

Car parks in five Norfolk towns could be taken over by their town councils – raising the possibility of parking charges being introduced.

Breckland Council has written to councils in Dereham, Swaffham, Watton, Thetford and Attleborough to establish if they want to buy or manage the car parks in those towns, which are currently under Breckland’s control.

Dereham parking lots are among those that could be relocated (Image: Bill Smith). Part of the motive for the probable transition is to prevent car parks from passing into the hands of different administrations once all county councils are abolished and replaced.

Norfolk’s eight councils will be dissolved and replaced with new ones as part of the local government reorganisation.

Norfolk County Council wants one unitary authority, South Norfolk two, and the remaining districts, including Breckland, want three.

Break lane leaders said ownership of the car parks will pass to any new unitary authority, which would be responsible for managing them, whether they remain free or charges are imposed.

Similarly, if town councils took them on, they might determine whether to keep them free or impose costs.

Dereham Town Council previously projected that it would need to take out a £1.8 million loan to purchase the car parks, and parking fees or a levy on council tax bills may be required to assist maintain them.

Breckland Council had considered imposing levies, but faced widespread opposition and suspended its plans due to the uncertainties surrounding local government reorganisation.

Paul Hewett, Breckland Council’s executive member for property, projects and procurement(Image: Breckland Counci)

Paul Hewett, Breckland’s executive member for property, projects, and procurement, stated:

“With changes to local government on the horizon, there is an opportunity for us to continue to work with town councils to shape a service that reflects the needs of their communities and put it in place before larger changes.

“By working together, we can give residents confidence that decisions about their town’s car parks are being made locally, with their best interests in mind, rather than being taken over by a new, larger authority in the future.”

We understand how vital car parking is to residents, shoppers, and local businesses, and we are committed to working with town governments to safeguard and strengthen this service.

“Town councils have made it clear that they want to have a bigger say in how vehicle parking facilities in their towns are administered, so we’ve worked hard to offer a variety of choices that could help make that happen.

“We hope each of our town council partners will consider these opportunities as soon as possible and that one of the options will fit their needs and the needs of their towns.”

Read more on Straightwinfortoday.com