We, the undersigned residents of Caerphilly County Borough, oppose the steep increases to residents’ parking permit charges and the ongoing failure to guarantee reasonable access to parking near our homes.

 

Caerphilly County Borough Council’s budget proposals for 2025/26 and 2026/27 include increasing the cost of residents’ parking permits from £15 to £25 in 2025/26 and then to £35 in 2026/27 – more than a 130% increase in two years. These rises are being introduced to generate a relatively small saving to the council of around £14,180, according to the council’s own impact assessment and budget papers. 

This comes on top of long-standing issues with the residents’ parking scheme, where paying for a permit does not guarantee that residents can park on their own street. Council scrutiny discussions and local reporting have repeatedly highlighted how residents are left frustrated, paying for permits but often unable to find a space because bays are shared, operational hours are limited, and non-permit holders can still use the same streets at key times. 

In other words:

We are paying more and more,
For a permit that does not guarantee a parking space,
In the middle of an ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

Our concerns

Disproportionate cost for residents

Jumping from £15 to £35 in two years is a huge increase for ordinary households, especially for streets where there is no off-street parking and a permit is effectively essential.  
Many residents are already struggling with rising council tax, energy bills, food prices and fuel costs. Adding steep parking charges on top is simply unfair.

No guaranteed parking near our homes

The Council’s own past discussions have acknowledged that people pay for permits but still often cannot park in their own street, due to shared-use bays, time-limited restrictions and people without permits using the same spaces.  
Residents are effectively being charged more for a “right” that doesn’t really exist in practice.

Poor value for a very small saving

The projected saving to the Council from these increases is only around £14,180 across the whole borough, which is minimal in the context of the overall council budget.  
For individual households, however, the jump from £15 to £35 is significant, especially when households may need more than one permit.

Impact on community life and wellbeing

Unreliable parking affects carers, disabled residents and families with young children the most, and can make it harder for people to safely unload shopping, mobility aids, or equipment near their homes.
It also risks increasing tension within communities as residents compete for spaces they have all paid for.

What we are calling for

We, the undersigned, call on Caerphilly County Borough Council to:

Freeze the increase to £25 and halt any further rise to £35 until a full, transparent review of the residents’ parking scheme has been carried out and shared with the public.

Review the residents’ parking policy in genuine partnership with residents, to:

Improve the chances of permit-holders being able to park on or near their own street (including reviewing shared-use bays and operational hours).  

Ensure any charges are fair, proportionate and reflect the actual level of service people receive.

Publish clear data and justification for permit pricing, including how much revenue is raised, how it is spent, and what alternative savings were considered instead of increasing charges for residents.

Commit to a fair, transparent consultation with existing permit-holders before any future increases in charges are decided.

Statement from residents

We are not opposed to paying a reasonable fee for a sensible, fair residents’ parking scheme. What we oppose is:

Being asked to pay more than double the original cost,
While still being unable to park near our homes, for the sake of a relatively small saving to the council’s budget.

We urge Caerphilly County Borough Council to listen to its residents, rethink these increases, and work with us to create a residents’ parking system that is fair, affordable and actually works.

We, the undersigned, call on Caerphilly County Borough Council to freeze the planned increases, review the scheme, and put residents first.