Car parking charges in Sefton are set to be frozen when the council sets its annual Budget this week.
Officers have submitted a report recommending that current parking prices at all pay and display zones and council owned car parks should not see any price increases in Southport, Bootle or across Sefton.
Councilors will meet to set their Budget at Bootle Town Hall this Thursday (27th February 2025).
A Sefton report said: “Car parking charges in general have not been increased.
“As parking charges were increased in June 2023 for the first time since 2016, it is not proposed to make further increases to the vast majority of charges for 2025/26.
“The only increase in parking charges would be for bay suspensions, with this being increased to £25 per month for residential and £25 per day for non residential. In the case of residential this would reflect the true costs to the Council to suspend the bay and in the case of non residential it would be a reflection of charges being made by other Local Authorities.”
Sefton Council is looking to meet a £45.3 million funding gap over the next three years as it continues to operate in “an extremely challenging financial environment”.
At this week’s Budget meeting, councillors are expected to back proposals for a 4.99% Council Tax increase.
The current Council Tax bill paid by local residents in Band C homes this year is £1,730.14.
The rise would include the maximum 2.99% Council Tax rise allowed without holding a referendum plus a 2% Adult Social Care Precept.
The increase over the next three years would generate £5.085 million in 2025/26,£5.353m in 2026/27 and £5.636m in 2027/28.
The council is facing huge challenges with rising Adult and Children’s Social Care costs.
This risk has been reported over the last 3-5 years within the council and has been focussed on the number and cost of accommodation for children who require support. As a result, it has been the main area of the Council where the budget has grown, increasing from about £40m in 2018/19 to £82m in 2024/25.
Sefton will also seek to plug the gap through some savings and price increases.
This would include:
- £4 million savings over the next two years through the “Better at Home” Transformation Programme Project
- Ending the annual £237,000 subsidy to Formby Pool as the site is profitable
- Saving £1.168 million through reviewing its street cleaning and cleansing operations, including its role and responsibilities with its partners, and also the associated enforcement activity with a view to improving the cleanliness of the borough
- Saving £1.09 million through the Transformation Programme Project “Education Travel Support”
In the Budget report, it said: “The current year has seen a forecast year-end overspend of £17.8m being reported (before mitigations), driven by increased need, demand and cost in Children’s Social Care, Adult Social Care and Education Excellence via Education Travel Support costs.
“The impact on the 2025/26 budget is that £11.6m will be required to be added to the budget gap due to these issues and is the first call on resources.
“This is clearly a significant issue that makes budget setting, and then the delivery of that budget, much more difficult with no room for political choice or flexibility and a requirement to deliver.”
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