Wiltshire Council has launched a consultation inviting residents and local organisations to have their say on proposed changes to parking charges. The proposed changes would see an average 20% rise in parking charges in 2026, followed by a further 5% rise in 2028 as well as extended charging hours and the alignment of Sunday tariffs with weekday tariffs.
Warminster Town Councillors agreed that they would write to Wiltshire Council objecting to some of the changes.
In particular town councillors:
- Opposed the proposal to increase charges on Sunday from 70p to the same as weekdays.
- Opposed the proposal to extended parking charging hours in car parks to 7am – 7pm.
- Wanted to discuss with Wiltshire Council what could be done to encourage people to park for longer.
During their discussion, town councillors raised a number of points. In particular they emphasised:
- While accepting that prices hadn’t risen since 2022, (inflation since then has risen 28%) they were concerned that in the current economic climate, particularly when fuel costs are so high that the impact of the increaseswill be negative on the town when any proposals should be aimed at increasing footfall in the town centre.
- The extension of parking charging hours, currently 8am – 6pm, to 7am -7pm would hit some people very hard. It could add 10 hours a week extra car parking charges to retail workers. In a town where many roads have insufficient parking for residents, this may have a serious knock-on effect. People attending a show at the Athenaeum (including volunteers) pubs and restaurants could be charged more.
- They are concerned that people will be diverted from Car Parks and instead use on street parking or parking in residential roads. These cause problems (and costs) of their own and potentially reduce the income raised by the increase in charges.
- They were keen to encourage people to spend longer in Warminster and encourage the purchase of three-hour tickets. This would allow people time to browse and explore more businesses, stop at cafés or other food and drink vendors and generally shop local. A Warminster Town Council Working Group’s calculations showed this approach could have raised more income for Wiltshire Council as well as helping town centre regeneration. Warminster would welcome time to explore that sort of option, perhaps as a pilot scheme.
- Councillors were concerned that increases to Sunday charges were too big a leap and would hit both residents and businesses.
- The money raised from car parks is used by Wiltshire Council to subsidise buses, particularly rural buses, but these are least likely to run on Sunday.
It is often asked why Wiltshire Council car parking in Warminster couldn’t be free for the first two hours as in some other towns. The reason being the town council would have to pick up the bill, which would be over £100,000 a year, adding £16 to Council Tax.
The consultation closes on the 5th May. You can comment on the proposals before this date via email TrafficOrderConsultations@wiltshire.gov.uk or using the online form, quoting reference HKB/TRO/Parking.
For more information contact Warminster Town Council, Tel: 01985 214847 or email: admin@warminster-tc.gov.uk
Last modified: 1 May 2026
