The controversial new on-street car parking charges for Harpenden are reaping thousands of pounds more than predicted, new figures have shown.
The parking revenue from the town’s on-street bays for February 2025 to January 2026 was £346,862 against a budget of £208K.
As a result, SADC’s projected budget income for 2026/27 has been increased by £109,000 for both St Albans and Harpenden to reflect this additional income.
They said the concessions followed a year of monitoring data and listening to local feedback, but were accused of not going far enough by local opponents to the fees.
This week, the chair of SADC’s public realm committee, and lead on parking Cllr Helen Campbell, said the revenue figures were proof that their system was working.
“Firstly, it is important to remind people that the evidence collected shows that the on-street parking scheme is meeting its objectives in terms of traffic management and appropriate use of parking facilities, and this, of course, is necessarily linked to the charging regime.
“In terms of revenue collection it is the case that since the introduction of these on-street parking charges, SADC revenue has been more than originally forecast.
“Which is further evidence that the scheme has not deterred vast swathes of shoppers who wish to access the High Street by car.
“Indeed by the end of January there have been over 130,000 separate paid visits in Harpenden alone. The average stay of these is 88 minutes which indicates that the bays now have a range of uses, reflecting either the convenience offered by a short, free, stay, or the different convenience of being able now to park right outside the premises to be visited for a much longer shop.
“Using this objective evidence, we have therefore adjusted our new forecast of expected revenue from this source in our ‘26/’27 budget.
“The data from the first year’s experience has allowed us the confidence to go out to consultation on the one hour free parking for the sub-set of less used, more remote, bays and also is reflected in our decision to freeze price charges for ‘26/’27 whilst we observe how this tiered pricing concept works out in practice.”
But SADC Conservative group leader Cllr Matt Cowley and former Harpenden Tory Parliamentary candidate Nigel Gardner did not agree.
Matt said: “We know that the Lib Dems’ parking charges are making vast amounts of money at residents’ expense – even as footfall in town reduces. They have produced a scenario where the only winners are the council’s coffers.
“Rather than set out to use that extra money to bring down prices next year and put a bit more back into the pocket of local residents and businesses, until the 11th hour before budget they wanted to put prices up further. Pressure from residents, businesses and our Conservative team forced them to scrap their plan to increase prices and make 40 bays an hour free in a desperate attempt to keep their Harpenden seats in May.
“But their paltry concessions will do very little to help residents and businesses. The local Conservatives have fought these parking charges from day one. We’ll keep fighting for a restoration of free parking on our High Street. If residents back us with their votes in May, we’ll be able to grow our group of councillors, get more seats on the committees that make big decisions on things like parking charges, and get more done for local people.”
Nigel added: “That’s £350,000 extorted largely from the pockets of hard-working local families and our hard-up pensioners. That’s not just daylight robbery, it’s parking bay robbery.
“And it’s a huge kick in the teeth for our hard-pressed high street traders, who are working their socks off to keep afloat. The council is pretending to listen whilst the economic damage to Harpenden multiplies. It’s time this whole sorry saga of a scheme is scrapped.”
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