Council parking charges to rise from 20 July

Why it matters: Most drivers using council-operated car parks will pay 10p more per hour, while the popular afternoon deal – parking for the rest of the day from 14:00 – will rise from £2.70 to £2.80. Season ticket holders face annual increases of up to £99.

The details: Short-stay car parks, which include Bond Street, Crown, Elm Street, Regent, St Peter's Dock, Upper Orwell Street and William Street, will increase from £1.60 to £1.70 per hour. Long-stay car parks – including Portman Road, Princes Street and West End Road – will rise from £1.40 to £1.50 per hour, with the all-day charge increasing from £7.50 to £8.00.

On-street paid parking will also increase by 10p per hour across locations including Cromwell Square, Museum Street, Russell Road and Sir Alf Ramsey Way.

Annual season tickets for long-stay car parks will increase from £1,403 to £1,496 for Monday-to-Friday permits and from £1,485 to £1,584 for all-week permits. Resident season tickets at Cobbold Street and Richmond Road will rise from £371 to £396.

Ipswich cannot regenerate its town centre while treating its car parks as a cash machine

Ipswich Borough Council’s strategy promises to make the town centre “vibrant, inclusive, and a great place to live, work, and visit.” Its parking strategy is to charge a little more every year. At some point, it needs to address the obvious contradiction.

Ipswich.co.ukOliver Rouane-Williams

What they're saying: Portfolio holder Councillor Jane Riley described the increases as "modest" but acknowledged it was "difficult sometimes to justify increases," adding that "statutory services have to be funded some way."

Councillor Martin Cook noted that when the current administration took control of the council, the short-stay rate for Crown car park was £1.70 per hour – the same price it was in 2011. He said that if charges had risen with inflation, the current rate would be £2.58.

The bigger picture: The council estimates the off-street changes will generate an additional £176,000 per year, while on-street changes will bring in a further £18,000. The changes, the council says, are designed to address inflationary cost pressures in running parking services and help eliminate a cumulative deficit of £95,853 in the on-street parking fund.

Lib Dem councillor Oliver Holmes raised questions about whether the primary aim of short-stay parking should be increasing occupancy to benefit the town centre economy, rather than maintaining income. Councillor Riley said the primary purpose of short-stay parking was to "support access to the town centre," with higher occupancy supporting footfall and the wider economy, but that this had to be balanced with the cost of funding other services.

Holmes also asked whether the council could work with Ipswich Central and other event organisers to introduce free or discounted parking during promotions through dynamic pricing. Riley confirmed the council had already used dynamic pricing – citing the Illuminate event at Christchurch Park and the dynamic pricing at the Crown multi-storey car park as an example – and said it would continue to work with Ipswich Central where applicable.

For context: Cambridge City Council charges between £2.60 and £3.70 per hour for short-stay parking, rising to £33.50 for an all-day stay at some car parks. Norwich City Council charges between £2.20 and £2.50 per hour, with all-day rates of up to £22.40, but Cllr Holmes questioned the value of comparing Ipswich with Cambridge, Norwich and Bury St Edmunds, given that those towns offered "far more opportunities to shoppers." Councillor Riley acknowledged the towns differ significantly, adding that "Ipswich is about far more than retail" and that the town "punches way above its weight for arts and culture."

What's next: The council will also decide whether to make permanent a trial weekend extension of the afternoon deal at Crown car park, which allows parking from 14:00 on Saturdays and Sundays for £2.80. The trial ends on 28 June 2026, and the decision has been delegated to officers in consultation with the portfolio holder.

A new multi-storey car park at Portman Road is due to open in 2028, subject to planning consent, and will be incorporated into the council's parking order on the same tariff as other long-stay car parks.

The bottom line: Parking in Ipswich will cost a little more from 20 July, as the council looks to keep pace with rising operating costs. The increases are modest, but season ticket holders will notice the difference most – and a decision on whether cheaper weekend afternoon parking at Crown car park becomes a permanent fixture is expected shortly.

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