Failure to pay and display costs Mid and East Antrim motorists £20k monthly

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has engaged an outside agency for enforcement of town centre car parking charges in a contract worth £3.29m.
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Belfast-based Car Park Services has been awarded a three-year contract for management, enforcement and penalty charge notice processing to commence in November.

The new contract will provide enforcement of parking charges in 15 car parks across the borough which are owned by Department for Infrastructure (DfI) and for which the council has responsibility.

During the first six months of this year, revenue worth almost £120k has been generated by 1,329 penalty charge notices issued to motorists in Mid and East Antrim who have failed to “pay and display” in car parks where charges apply.

Circular Road West Car ParkCircular Road West Car Park
Circular Road West Car Park

Of these, 773 were issued in Ballymena, 393 in Carrickfergus and 163 in Larne.

The TUV has described free parking as “a drain on the ratepayer”.

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has been considering charging in council-owned town centre car parks which are free to use at present.

In April, Larne Lough DUP Councillor Gregg McKeen proposed that any new car park charges be deferred due to the “financial hardship being faced by many at this time”.

His proposal was seconded by Carrickfergus Castle Alliance Cllr Lauren Gray and was agreed after 12 councillors voted in favour with five against.

Ballymena TUV Cllr Matthew Armstrong said that he was against the decision. Previously, he has called for parking fees across the borough to be examined to “establish consistency”.

Councillors were informed when the issue was raised before the first lockdown in 2020 by Bannside TUV Cllr Timothy Gaston that it would take at least a year to get payment systems operational.

Carrickfergus Castle DUP Alderman Billy Ashe MBE said previously his party does not believe the introduction of car park charges will “bring in the revenue that other councillors think it will”.

Repairs to a car park at Joymount in Carrickfergus which cost £6,000 are on hold “due to budget restrictions”, councillors have been told. In Whitehead car park repairs are being carried out after coastal storm damage.

The local authority has decided against leasing Circular Road West car park in Larne town centre which could have realised rent of £15,000 per annum. It is currently a ‘pay and display’ site.

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Mid and East Antrim Borough Council car parking charges deferred

A 1.27 acre council-owned lorry car park also at Circular Road, was on the market for £350,000 before it was sold by the local authority to fast food giant McDonald’s.

Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter