Dorset Council looks to align parking charges

Dorset Council announced its intention to align parking charges across Dorset Council car parks, on-street parking and car park permits.

Ray Bryan, Portfolio holder for Highways, Travel and Environment says: “Currently, we have approximately 76 different permits in circulation across the Council, with varying rules and prices. Car park charges also vary wildly, spanning from being free to £9 for all day parking, which is not fair for residents.”

The proposed pricing strategy is designed to bring consistency in parking charges across the Dorset Council area and aims to work for as many people as possible. The strategy also recognises the diverse and unique areas that Dorset enjoys – rural, coastal and town – and the seasonal nature of car parks at popular visitor destinations.

You can read the Strategy Report here.

Dorset Council would like to gain a better understanding of how the strategy works for you and your community so please could you send any queries, comments and recommendations to by 16th July 2021. Your feedback will be used to shape the final charging strategy.

Finally, there is a survey on a new car park permit(s) that Parking Services is undertaking: www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/parking-permit-survey

The purpose of the new car park permit(s) is to give regular car park users better value for money on their parking. Your support in completing this survey would be much appreciated so that Parking Services understands what sort of permit car park users need.

Should you have any queries or comments regarding any of the details in this email then please contact