Parking charges Notice of Variation (reference N1 2026)

As a council, we remain committed to being open about the decisions we need to make to protect essential local services, support vulnerable residents, and keep our communities running well. To do this, and to ensure long term financial stability, we must continue to assess our spending and review how we use our resources.

We intend to increase car parking tariffs and permit prices from 16 March 2026.

We have kept increases in our 3 town centres to an absolute minimum of just 2%. This is a deliberate approach designed to support local businesses, encourage footfall, and ensure residents can continue to access and enjoy their town centres affordably.

For reassurance, all existing free parking options will remain exactly the same.

In higher demand locations, such as the seafront, tariffs will increase by 6%. Taken together, this results in an overall average rise of 4% across council‑owned car parks and chargeable on‑street parking – keeping pace with inflationary pressures.

Increases to the cost of resident permits are also being kept to the lowest possible level at 2% - with this being off-set by larger increases for non-resident permits and season-tickets.

These changes come at a time of continued financial pressure for us, as is the case for local authorities across the country, and will help support our statutory duties whilst keeping pace with rising costs.

The income raised by parking helps us prioritise and protect essential services, including home‑to‑school transport and our wider transport network, so that our residents continue to receive the services they rely on.

The Notice of Variation contains details of the tariffs and permit prices.

How to comment on this notice

To comment on this notice you can contact us by email at traffic@bcpcouncil.gov.uk or by post to:

Traffic Team
BCP Civic Centre
Bourne Avenue
Bournemouth
BH2 6DY

You must quote the reference N1 2026.