Scottish Councils See £47M Windfall From Parking Fees, Which Charge Most?

Parking profits in Scotland rose a lot. Figures show they jumped from £27.5 million to £47.2 million between 2021-22 and 2023-24. Some councils made more than they spent on parking.

Glasgow’s parking charges went up in April 2024. Now, fifteen minutes cost £1.60, up from £1.40. The city made £15.7 million profit from parking with a total income of £34.2 million. Parking in Kelvingrove costs £1 per 15 minutes, where you can only stay two hours, compared to Hillhead where you get three.

Edinburgh made £28.6 million from parking profits from a total parking income of £40.7 million. That’s sixty percent of Scotland’s total. Parking costs £8.20 per hour in busy zones every day of the week. They increased street parking fees by 22%, following a 20% rise the year before

Dundee earned £1.91 million in parking profits. The total parking income came to £5.7 million. City center parking starts at £2.70 for thirty minutes and £3.50 for thirty to sixty minutes. Perth Road parking costs £3.30 for two hours and two to four hours costs £5.

Central Aberdeen charges £1.50 for twenty minutes. Forty minutes costs £2.60. One hour costs £4.20.

Stirling’s Zone A costs 90p for thirty minutes and £2 for two hours. Zone B is £4 for two hours.

Highland Council had a £1.96 million parking surplus. Their total parking income was £4.5 million. Inverness parking costs £3 for three hours, usually.

The RAC Foundation hopes the money from parking goes to roads, stating many roads need fixing. Some people think parking is just about revenue. It should also reduce traffic.

Councils also earn from fines and permits. Council tax rose six percent to £2.9 billion. Fees and charges brought in £3.18 billion. That’s up £277 million from last year.