THE city council has set its budget for the next year despite the Tories refusing to vote for it over the planned rise in car parking charges.

The budget includes a plan to increase Worcester City Council’s share of council tax by around £6 a year as well as upping car parking charges in a bid to tackle a £1.7m hole in its finances.

The planned rise in car parking charges, which were revealed in January, was criticised by Tory council leader Chris Mitchell who said a cost of living crisis was the wrong time to raise prices.

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The council’s Tories voted against the whole budget saying they would not support any increase in car parking charges when the council met to set its financial plans for the next 12 months in the Guildhall on Tuesday (February 21).

Cllr Mitchell was particularly angered by the scrapping of the 30-minute charge for parking which would result in drivers paying £1.50 for an hour instead of the previous 60p charge which would “hit people really hard.”

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“It’s not just residents and visitors to the city who are going to be impacted by these charges but people who have businesses.

"We don’t know what the impact of that will be, but I do know having spoken to quite a few of them, who I’m not going to name, they are concerned.”

He admitted freezing parking charges would “put more pressure on the council and impact its reserves” but said the council’s timing was wrong to consider putting up charges.

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The council leader pointed to the city’s annual survey which showed just over half of the people responding – 555 residents or around 0.5 per cent of the city’s population – said parking charges should stay as they are, with a third of respondents, or 307 residents, saying they should go down.

In the survey, a total of 16 per cent – 166 residents – of respondents said they would support a rise.

“I don’t think there are many other things that this council would do when the public opinion is so opposed to it,” he added.

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“We are in a cost of living crisis and we are asking people to pay more to park their car and come in and do the essential things they want and need to do.”

Cllr Marjory Bisset, leader of the council’s Greens, said the increases were “reasonable” given the 14-year gap between the last rise and that people using buses and trains had seen “steep increases” during the same time.

Labour councillor Richard Udall said: “Nobody wants to increase fees and charges, nobody wants to increase council tax but the fact of the matter remains that if we don’t we will be in a much more serious situation.

“Yes, a nine per cent increase on average may have an individual hurt but completely pales in comparison when the government are considering increasing fuel duty by 23 per cent which will have a devastating impact.”

The city council’s budget was nevertheless passed with support from Labour, Lib Dem and the Greens and the Conservatives voting against it.