ALMOST £1 million in savings could be generated from increasing car parking charges across Flintshire.

Fees at local authority sites will rise from April after officers conducted its first review of the scheme introduced initially in July 2015.

Two options will be put before members of Flintshire Council's environment overview and scrutiny committee, with one offering potential benefit of £954,496 – an increase of almost £500,000.

Currently Flintshire Council recoups £459,509 while £886,000 is spent managing its car parks.

Steve Jones, chief officer for Streetscene and transportation, wrote in a report to councillors ahead of the meeting on Tuesday, that while “raising charges in the car parks is contentious” income levels “need to be raised across services” to balance the council's budget.

Mr Jones said: “The revised charges proposed are reasonable and would still be low when comparing the cost of parking in Flintshire to other Welsh counties.”

Option one would increase Buckley, Connah's Quay, Holywell, Queensferry and Shotton to 50p for up to four hours and £1 all day.

Option two would offer 50p for up to two hours and £1 all day.

Currently, the five communities are charged 20p for up to two hours, 50p for four hours or £1 all day.

In Mold, charges would move to £1 for up to four hours and £1.50 all day under option one, or £1 for three hours and £2 all day in option two.

In comparison, drivers currently pay 50p for up to three hours,80p for four hours and £1 all day.

Mold's Love Lane car park would increase to £1 all day from 50p under both proposals while County Hall tariffs would increase to £1 for up to four hours and £2 for all day under option one.

Option two would offer £1 for up to two hours and £2 all day, compared to 20p for four hours, 50p all day
currently.

As parking charges are yet to take affect in Flint, they would either be implemented as 50p for up to four hours and £1 all day under option one or 50p for two hours and £1 all day under option two.

Flint Railway Station would increase from £2 a day to £4 under both plans.

In the report, Mr Jones said that charges have not impacted on car parking usage.

He said: “The exception being Connah’s Quay, where the availability of extensive off-street parking arrangements has resulted in lower than expected income and therefore utilisation levels in the local car parks.

“Since the introduction of charges it can be seen that utilisation levels have actually increased in six of the towns over the past two years which vindicates the original decision to apply low level car parking charges to increase car parking availability and therefore utilisation levels for shoppers and other visitors to the town centres.”

The new charging arrangements will be advertised in each car park during February and March and will come into effect from April 1.