PARKING charges in Liverpool have gone up by up to 40% and the additional revenue is likely to push the council’s annual income from parking above £1m next year, it emerged last night.

Business leaders last night condemned the decision and said it was likely to dissuade shoppers from coming into the city at precisely the time when they should be encouraged.

Parking in the outer zone has gone up 40%, with half an hour now costing 70p instead of 50p, and long stays of four hours costing £5.60, up from £4.

Half an hour’s on-street parking within the inner parking zone now costs £1 instead of 90p, and the maximum stay of two hours costs £4 instead of £3.60 – an increase of 11%.

A day’s parking at Mount Pleasant car park has gone up 20% from £5 to £6.

Parking charges are expected to earn the council £812,000 this financial year, while officials have forecast that in 2009/10 income will surpass £1m.

Last night the council said it was only the second rise in 13 years (prices last went up in 2005) and that the additional income would help pay for upgrades.

Opposition councillors hit out at the time of the increases, just days after the local election.

But council leader Warren Bradley said the proposed changes, part of this year’s budget, had been advertised in mid-April.

Cllr Paul Brant, deputy Labour leader, said: “Parking in the city centre is increasingly difficult and expensive. Liverpool now is risking driving away investment and shoppers, just at the time when we are meant to be giving a friendly welcome to visitors for Capital of Culture.”

Jack Stopforth, chief executive of Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, said: “There is a danger we are going to dissuade people from coming into the city at the very time when we need them the most.”

Frank McKenna, chairman of lobby club Downtown Liverpool in Business, said: “This is just crackers, we have lost an awful lot of traffic to other retail centres like Cheshire Oaks and the Trafford Centre.”

A council spokesman said parking in Liverpool was still cheaper than many other cities including Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds.

“We are working hard to improve parking facilities for motorists and new pay and display machines will come into operation in the next few months so people can use credit and debit cards and pay via mobile phone.

“We are also introducing a new car park with CCTV cameras in Fraser Street, and continuing the upgrade of the Mount Pleasant car park which includes increased security, better lighting, improvement to the lifts and re-marking of bays.”

davidbartlett