Cllr Jon Hubbard, the Wiltshire Councillor for Melksham South, has welcomed news from Wiltshire Council that they are ending the 20p surcharge for using cashless parking tickets.
A press release issued by Wiltshire Council today stated that the 20p fee for paying via a mobile app for parking in the counties car parks would be scrapped from 1st April.
Cllr Hubbard commented, "I welcome this positive move by the council. I actually don't understand why we have been charging this additional parking tax as normally the most expensive transaction charges come with handling cash. It's great that we are now making it easier and more convenient for people to use our car parks."
Wiltshire Council's press release read:
From 1 April, Wiltshire Council is ending the 20p car parking convenience fee that motorists are charged when they pay for parking via the MiPermit app or text message.
Until now, when motorists without change want to pay for parking in Wiltshire Council car parks using the MiPermit app or text message rather than coins, they would be charged a 20p convenience fee on top of the amount they paid for parking. However, from 1 April, this fee will be waived and everyone will pay the same rate for their parking, regardless of how they pay.
Cllr Bridget Wayman, Cabinet Member for Highways, said: “More people are using their phones to pay for their parking in our car parks, either through the app or via text message, and we wanted to ensure they don’t pay more for doing so, in much the same way as there are no longer fees for using apps or cards to pay in shops.
“So, from 1 April, the 20p extra charge will go, and all car park users will pay the same rate, whether they pay for their parking with coins, the MiPermit app, text message or, in some of our car parks, payment card.
“The levelling of these parking charges represents a £90,000 cost to us, as we will be taking on the administrative and banking charges incurred through the MiPermit payments. We feel this is the right thing to do to make parking charges fairer for all.
“We hope that as lockdown is eased, and more shops and businesses are able to open, the removal of this fee will encourage more people to get out and support Wiltshire businesses.”
