Glasgow parking charges data shows Covid retail slump

Charges were also suspended for four months last year to support key workers in the public health emergency.

Data shows the council collected £5,931,583 from 2018 to 2019 from parking charges in the inner city zone. This rose to £6,391,727 the following year when Sunday parking charges were introduced. Collections dropped to £2,285,785 during the pandemic, from April 2020 to April 2021.

According to the council the operating costs for parking are around £2million.

In the year to March 2019, the department of Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability spent roughly £160m, which was made up of £110m from general funds and £50m generated through earned income, fees and charges.

A council source said: "If you didn’t have that £50m (and the parking charges within it) would you do less - spend less on roads (£20m), street cleaning (£19m) or refuse collection and disposal (£70m) – or charge more, and for what – cremations and burials, parking?".

While city centre parking charges represent a major cash cow for the council, it is pushing forward with plans to reduce the number of cars in the city centre.

READ MORE: 'Core' area of Glasgow City Centre to become car free by 2026 to 'give public spaces back to the people'

The Herald revealed last month that a core area restricted to public transport will be created within the next five years, to help the council achieve an ambitious target of 'net zero living' by 2030.

The area will stretch from George Square to pollution hot spot Hope Street across Argyle Street and up to Cathedral Street.

Friends of the Earth Scotland welcomed the plan saying it was a "great step forward for Glasgow in the urgent task of reducing climate emissions". 

However, Stuart Patrick, Chief Executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, expressed disappointed that there was "no consultation" with business and the wider community ahead of today's announcement.

Despite being permitted to open this year, city centre businesses say festive trade has been considerable slower.

Soni Ahmed, co-founder of MAIA Gifts on Bath Street, said: "Christmas accounts for 60% of our year so it’s such a vital part of us being able to sustain the rest of the year.
"It keeps us going through the quieter months of January and February when nobody wants to think about gifts at all.
"It’s been a bit of a slow burner [this year].Footfall is down in the city, we rely a lot on the city worker."

READ MORE: West end parking restrictions in Glasgow prompt angry backlash from residents 

Figures show shopping footfall dropped by 22% last month compared to two years ago and prior to the pandemic. 

David Lonsdale, Director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, says efforts to reduce cars must be balanced with support for the struggling high street. Visitors to out of town shopping centres such as Silverburn can park free of charge 24 hours a day.

He said: "Our city centres have a great deal to offer, however I know from speaking to many shopkeepers that they view costly and restrictive parking as a real bugbear for shoppers and something which holds back footfall. 

"If we are to see greater levels of shopper footfall on Glasgow’s streets and a more vibrant city centre as we recover from the pandemic then new thinking is urgently required, with parking made easier and much more affordable."

The council suspended city centre parking charges for key workers in March last year. Charges resumed on July 9 as traffic increased and non-essential retail re-opened.

READ MORE: Glasgow city centre 'castles in the sky' providing a quiet life 

Sunday parking charges were introduced in June 2019. The council said there were too many cases of drivers parking their cars overnight on Saturday and blocking bays for long periods on Sundays.

More recently, the council has unveiled possible plans to charge Glasgow residents in their own neighbourhoods based on the level of emissions from vehicles.

The move, which is already being introduced in Edinburgh, would see residents’ parking permit costs calculated on how polluting their vehicles are.

The council is also looking at introducing charges for workplace parking in the city, with cash raised going towards boosting sustainable transport.

The levy would involve a workplace licensing scheme - with the employer paying for a licence. It aims to encourage more employees to ditch the car and travel to work in a sustainable way.

A roll-out of neighbourhood parking permits is also continuing with the latest in North Kelvin provoking anger from residents, who say the area is facing longer daily restrictions that other parts of the city.