Living in the desired location has a great advantage. It offers a quieter and more peaceful lifestyle, especially compared to the urban turmoil. Its aesthetic appeal can have a major impact on the mood and overall well-being of the residents.
However, it also has a pretty expensive drawback. A new analysis of data from the council by Churchill Motor Insurance reveals the sudden and fairly inconsistent costs of parking permits for residents across the UK. In one picturesque borough in London, locals now pay up to £1,073 a year to park outside their homes, while people in other cities are not paying anything.
The average cost of a 12-month resident parking permit in a UK town or city is currently £128. But the Islington district of London, which counts Boris Johnson as a former resident, charges residents up to £1,073 to park outside their home, making it the most expensive place to park outside your home in the UK.
At Islington, £1,073.60 is the eye-opening cost for a diesel vehicle with engines over 2751cc or emissions over 256g/km. According to the auto insurance company that has considered 100 councils, the lowest cost for an electric vehicle is £111.70.
London's Borough offers some of the most expensive residents' parking fees, while Edinburgh, Brighton and Glasgow are all top 10 expensive.
Only seven people including Manchester City Council, Leeds City Council, Swansea Council and Nottingham City Council – do not have, but will not, charge, a resident's parking plan for the first vehicle registered.
The study revealed that the emissions-based tiering system “has been punished by owners of old and diesel vehicles, allowing newer, larger electric vehicles to park at a certain cost,” Churchill Motor Insurance claimed.
“There is no national standard for emission bands, so what is considered a “highly polluted” vehicle in one city is the “midrange” in another city,” they added.
Most councils tier parking costs for residents based on car emissions rather than based on car size. This means that small, old and diesel owners pay far more than anyone driving a big 4×4 electric vehicle.
“The council is increasingly targeting people with older, more contaminated or higher non-EVS rates, but “the additional costs of multiple vehicles and the bureaucratic application process (…) are particularly difficult for company motorists and disabled residents.”
Nicholas Mantel, head of Churchill Auto Insurance, said: “Currently, residents' parking plans are spread across towns and cities in the UK, but all councils are taking a different approach.
“Overall, residents with older, more polluted cars pay far more than people with more modern cars or EVs, regardless of how much room the car takes up when parked.”
The Express contacted Islington Council and the CLLR Rowena Champion, executive members of Environment, Air Quality and Transport.
“Our emissions-based parking fees are designed to encourage residents to choose cleaner and more sustainable transportation options. We have a very robust parking permit fee policy. This means that the most contaminated vehicles are parked five times higher than the least contaminated parking, less for fully electric vehicles.
“These policies support our broader environmental commitment and our ambition to make Islington a greener, healthier place. Latest data shows that this work has contributed to an overall decline in borough emissions of 20% since the 2018 baseline.
The CLLR champion added that Islington is one of the lowest level of car ownership in London, and that blanket surcharges have been introduced for all diesel vehicles over the past decade. The introduction of people-friendly streets, school streets, and bicycles has helped encourage local people to switch from using automobiles to using public transport, walking or cycling, where possible.
The council said it is committed to continuing to support people with disabilities and those who are unable to switch from using cars. Many concessions remain, including blue badge holders who have been granted free resident parking permits from the 60s and above, requesting disabled living allowances, and employment support allowances.
