Somerset parking review costs £1,500 per car park

By Laura Linham 10th Apr 2026

Local News by Laura Linham 10th Apr 2026

Somerset Council's review of parking charges will cost nearly £1,500 per car park, councillors were told at a meeting in Taunton on Tuesday, 1 April 2026.

The authority has allocated £272,824 from its parking reserve to pay external consultants to gather evidence on how busy car parks are across the county, ahead of more detailed proposals expected in the autumn.

The work follows a March decision by the council's executive committee to launch what it described as a root-and-branch review of parking charges. The shake-up could lead to a new tiered pricing structure for both on-street and off-street parking across Somerset.

Councillor Diogo Rodrigues, leader of the opposition Conservative group and member for Bridgwater East and Bawdrip, challenged the spending during the executive meeting.

He said the council was already spending heavily on outside advice through its wider transformation programme and on other projects, including changes to the Celebration Mile in Bridgwater.

Mr Rodrigues asked for confirmation of the council's total spending on external consultants and advisory support since April 2023, along with any further committed or contracted costs.

Responding for the council, executive director for community, place and economy Chris Hall said the parking review had to be backed by detailed evidence before any consultation on individual locations could properly go ahead.

He said officers had recommended a detailed review of parking usage, adding that the work went beyond simply deciding how much to charge. The surveys and analysis, he said, would look at how car parks and surrounding areas are currently used, and what the likely impact of any changes could be.

Mr Hall said the overall cost would be "in excess of £200,000", which worked out at just under £1,500 per car park.

The proposed charging model would divide sites into five categories based on location and demand. Somerset Council says the aim is to encourage turnover and support more sustainable travel into the county's towns, while avoiding a blanket one-size-fits-all system.

Under the draft approach, Tier 1 sites would cover premium or high-demand central locations with large amounts of short-stay parking and good public transport links. Tier 2 would cover standard or medium-demand sites, while Tier 3 would include value or more peripheral locations geared towards longer stays.

Tier 4 would apply to rural villages and small settlements, where the stated aim is to support local high streets, community facilities and tourism. Tier 5 would cover special-function sites such as seasonal parking, residential or shared-use locations, and electric vehicle charging hubs.

An indicative example published by the council showed one hour of parking in a Tier 1 car park could cost £1.90. The same stay could cost £1.50 in a Tier 2 site, £1.30 in a Tier 3 site and remain free in a Tier 4 location.

Speaking when the review was approved in March, Councillor Richard Wilkins, portfolio holder for transport and waste services, said the council had been working for the last year to create a more consistent system of parking fees across Somerset.

He said the authority accepted that car parks were used in different ways and that final decisions on tiers and charges would only be made once survey work and engagement with businesses and residents had been completed.

That means the biggest decisions are still to come. But the row over the cost of preparing the review has already begun.