New simpler parking charges have come into force in Burton's town centre car parks - but some permit holders will be left hugely out of pocket.
On Friday, September 1, new tariffs came into force in six of Burton's council-run car parks including Bond Street, Burton Library, Burton Place ground floor and rooftop, Coopers Square shopping centre, Fleet Street, High Street and Meadowside Leisure Centre.
Burton Place and Coopers Square also run the Free after 3 service which allows drivers to park for free after 3pm. However, now motorists do not need a ticket to use this service.
Along with the new system, which has seen the "up to four hours" and "over four hours" tickets scrapped, the cost of annual permits has skyrocketed.
The cost of a permit for these six car parks is now £575, which equates to £2.50 per day, five days a week, and will be a stiff rise for permit holders who currently pay between £295 and £465, depending on which car park their yearly pass is for.
The changes will allow people to pay for permits by standing order, in a bid to help spread the costs, and will generate an extra £111,085 income for the council.
For permit holders at High Street who previously paid £320 has been an increase of £255, while for those who hold a permit at Burton Place and Fleet Street have seen a £110 price rise from the £465 they already pay.
Motorists using the council's car park at the Meadowside Leisure Centre will pay a whopping rise of £280 – an increase of almost 95 per cent.
The cabinet of East Staffordshire Borough Council, which runs the facilities, decided to enforce the changes earlier this year. They also decided to retain the "free after three" scheme, which will be reviewed in two years.
A council spokesman said: "The car parking charges were agreed at the council’s cabinet meeting in May. The charges - £1 for up to two hours, £2 for up to three hours and £5 for more than three hours or all day, became live on Friday, September 1.
"The changes were agreed as part of a review into the free after three scheme, where cabinet members agreed to extend the scheme to allow free parking after 3pm in four car parks across the borough. A review of car parking tariffs and pricing structures will be carried out in 24 months' time."
