A Hornsea councillor has raised concerns that coastal residents in the East Riding are receiving a bad deal over car parking charges compared to inland towns.
A Hornsea councillor has expressed deep concerns that coastal residents are getting a bad deal when it comes to car parking provisions across the East Riding.
Councillor Barbara Jefferson believes there is an unfair and ongoing disparity between coastal towns and inland areas regarding council car park charges. The issue stems from a decision made by councillors last autumn. At that time, it was decided not to introduce parking charges in areas of the local authority that already benefited from free parking.
This decision has effectively left coastal towns, including Bridlington, Hornsea, and Withernsea, as some of the few remaining areas in the East Riding where council car parks still impose daily charges. Meanwhile, many inland towns across the region continue to enjoy free parking facilities at the local authority's expense.
The disparity has sparked frustration among coastal residents, who feel they are subsidising the maintenance of free car parks elsewhere in the East Riding, while simultaneously dealing with the heavy influx of tourist traffic.
Councillor Jefferson highlighted the financial strain of maintaining these free facilities without generating any income to cover the costs.
Councillor Jefferson said:
"I am still concerned about the fact that we have so many car parks in East Riding which are free.
They have to be maintained. And quite clearly, we don't have that kind of budget to maintain something that's not bringing the income in.
Where we live on the coast, we pay. Our residents pay, our visitors pay, and many visitors congest our streets completely.
So you can imagine as a resident in Bridlington, Withernsea, Hornsea, we say, why is there so many free car parks in the East Riding?"
The situation on the coast is further complicated by the unique structural challenges of seaside towns, where many older properties lack private driveways. Homeowners in these areas rely heavily on on-street parking or nearby council-run facilities.
However, during the busy tourist season, residents frequently find themselves competing with visitors for a limited number of spaces. This issue is heavily exacerbated by seasonal parking restrictions on certain streets, which operate from May until October to manage the summer crowds.
Councillor Jefferson warned that these mounting pressures are causing disputes within coastal communities, as displaced residents are forced to find alternative places to leave their vehicles in neighbouring residential areas.
Councillor Jefferson added:
"On the coast, there are many homes who do not have anywhere to put their cars.
You buy a house and you assume you're going to be able to park. Sorry, no, you can't because you you haven't even got a drive. Oh, there's a car park there. I'll use that. No, you're going to get charged.
We've always paid on car parks. We're charging on our car parks. We're bringing quite a lot of money in.
We need to look at car parking who are residents because where can they go? Because we have streets where it says you cannot park here from May until October. So, where does the people put their cars? They go into other people's streets, and then there's arguments."
The debate highlights the ongoing tension over how the local authority balances the maintenance of public facilities with the day-to-day realities of residents living in popular Yorkshire Coast destinations.
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