Wiltshire Parking Consultation Dates Announced

Friday, 27 March 2026 13:33

Wiltshire Council will open a statutory consultation next month on proposed changes to parking charges across the county.

The consultation, which begins on Thursday 9 April and closes on Wednesday 5 May, forms part of a comprehensive review of parking tariffs to ensure they remain aligned with the council’s Local Transport Plan 4 (LTP4), its Parking Sub‑Strategy and the Medium‑Term Financial Strategy (MTFS).

The outcome of the parking tariff review is subject to change depending on the consultation responses. Tariffs may increase, decrease, remain unchanged, or be withdrawn entirely. However, any final decision will need to fully cover identified costs to ensure there is no impact on the council’s MTFS.

Parking charges in Wiltshire have not changed since 2022, despite significant inflationary pressures during that time, including more than a 20% rise in the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) and increasing operational costs.

The proposed changes include:

An average 20% rise in parking charges in 2026, followed by a further 5% rise in 2028.
Extending parking charges operating hours to 7 am - 7 pm.
Aligning Sunday charges with weekday tariffs.
Reintroducing on‑street Sunday charging in Salisbury.
Adjusting season ticket and permit fees in line with any tariff changes.

The proposals are based on detailed assessments of individual car parks to ensure a fair approach that recognises the different economic conditions in each town and city.

Cllr Ian Thorn, Leader of Wiltshire Council, said: “While we recognise that any proposed tariff rises are not always popular, we have benchmarked these charges to ensure they remain competitive with other areas in the region, and we have not raised parking charges since 2022, so we believe that this is a fair and measured approach.

“However, it is important to note that this will be a consultation and no decision has been made. I’d encourage as many people as possible to take part in the consultation when it opens next month.”

The consultation will be part of the statutory Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) process. People will be able to write to the council via email or letter to share their views – more details will be available at the start of the consultation.

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