Card machines could be scrapped from carparks across the Havant borough as part of major review into parking

The move to stop all card payments would affect all council-owned carparks in Havant, Waterlooville, Emsworth and Hayling Island in a change which will save the council £50,000 a year in transactional charges if the proposals are approved.

It comes as Havant Borough Council reviews is carparks, with proposals to introduce Sunday charges across all its carparks to raise an extra £100,000 a year, and introduce charges at seven carparks which are currently free to generate extra income of between £80,000 and £150,000.

These are:

• Bridge Road Car Park, Emsworth
• Langstone Bridge, Hayling Island
• Emsworth Recreation Ground, Emsworth
• Gunsite, Hayling Island
• Ladybridge Car Park, Purbrook
• Wheatlands Avenue, Hayling Island
• Padnell Avenue, Waterlooville

The council currently has 60 car parks within the borough, of which, half of these are charged for.

Supporting the change to scrap car payments, council report says that most people have a smart phone and so have the ability to pay using RingGo - with cash an option for those who are unable to pay that way.

It said: “ The cost to the council in administering transaction charges made by Chip & Pin and Wave & Pay is greater than the cost of administering charges made using a smart phone.

“The council understands however, that the minority of residents do not have a smart phone and therefore still require the ability to pay with cash. To assist those residents, the council proposes to retain this as a payment method, even though it is the most expensive way to receive income.

The Council is also aware that the current network that supports the use of Chip & Pin and Wave & Pay needs to be upgraded to a 5G network at a one-off cost of £50,000. By removing the Chip & Pin and Wave & Pay payment types and offering only Cash and ‘RingGo’ the Council will save £50,000 per annum in transactional charges.”

The council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee will be meeting on Wednesday, June 25 to discuss the review, taking into consideration the climate emergency, sustainable transport, and how to best utilise council-owned car parking assets to generate much-needed income to help pay for future frontline services.

The panel will also look at an extension to the eight-hour parking for the price of four hours scheme for shop workers, the promotion of monthly Direct Debits as a means of payment for annual car parking permits replacing paper parking permits with virtual parking permits.

Councillor Richard Brown, Cabinet lead for Planning and Environment, said, “We understand there may be some concern from residents and businesses about a few of the recommendations that are being put forward – these have not been made lightly.

“Making these suggested adjustments across our pay and display car parks has been a tough decision, so we want to ensure they are fair and robust for motorists who live, work or visit the borough.

“Due to the constraints on the council’s finances, we need to make tough choices if we are to manage our budget effectively and continue to invest in our services.”

“Having the Overview and Scrutiny Committee evaluate the review prior to any formal decision being made is an important part of the process to ensure our Cabinet is fully informed, taking into consideration any recommendations, before they determine the outcome.

Residents and interested parties can watch the meeting of Overview and Scrutiny Committee live on Wednesday, June 25 by following the link to www.havant.gov.uk.

Three options have been presented:

1. The council can choose to maintain the current level of charging and not take into account the findings of the review
2. The council could choose to switch to payment by cash and RingGo only
3. The council can take into account the findings of the Parking Review in full

Any recommendations made by the Overview and Scrutiny panel will then be taken to Cabinet on Wednesday, 9 July, when a formal decision will be made.