![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/churchgoers-say-only-hope-is-god-as-council-hikes-sunday-parking-fees-by-700-per-cent/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/4_PAY-SN_WINCHESTER_PARKING_12.jpg&description=Residents in Winchester are furious at the "insane" hike in parking charges for Sunday - with four hours now costing £17 in some car parks, some say it's "penalising people who want to go to church" A council's 700% parking fee increase on Sundays has been dubbed a 'money-grabbing scheme' - and left churchgoers saying 'our only hope is God'. Winchester City Council introduced the new rates in July, with some parking for over four hours now a whopping £17 - including nearby Winchester Cathedral. However, it is the same price as the other days of the week, with Sunday previously having been a cheaper rate. 1,211 parking spaces are impacted by the new tariffs, which will also require people to pay for parking overnight. The move has caused uproar in the community, with business owners and residents setting up a petition to order the council to reverse the decision. Winchester-born churchgoer Olive Bramley travels 8 miles every Sunday to Winchester Cathedral, as her local church doesn't do Sunday service. The 74 year-old said: "I go to the eight o'clock morning community service every Sunday morning." Mr Bramley attends the morning service but arrives before 8am to get there on time - meaning she pays the overnight charge of £3.30. She then has to pay the £1.80 charge for the day rate, the Sun reports. "I'll have to pay £5.10 for parking and then £5 for the collection. That's £10 a week, £40 a month - that's a lot of money in this day and age,' she said. When she raised it with the council, it was suggested she use a different car park 15 minutes away - which Ms Bramley described as 'quite a walk'. The changes were made by the Liberal Democrat council in an attempt to 'help deliver the carbon neutrality plan' and get less people driving around on Sundays. The local authority has committed to running its services in a carbon neutral way by 2024. Cllr Kelsie Learney, cabinet member for the climate emergency at Winchester City Council, said: 'Air quality doesn't care what){kind=link}
Residents in Winchester are furious at the “insane” hike in parking charges for Sunday – with four hours now costing £17 in some car parks, some say it’s “penalising people who want to go to church”
A council’s 700% parking fee increase on Sundays has been dubbed a “money-grabbing scheme” – and left churchgoers saying “our only hope is God”.
Winchester City Council introduced the new rates in July, with some parking for over four hours now a whopping £17 – including nearby Winchester Cathedral. However, it is the same price as the other days of the week, with Sunday previously having been a cheaper rate.
1,211 parking spaces are impacted by the new tariffs, which will also require people to pay for parking overnight. The move has caused uproar in the community, with business owners and residents setting up a petition to order the council to reverse the decision.
Winchester-born churchgoer Olive Bramley travels 8 miles every Sunday to Winchester Cathedral, as her local church doesn’t do Sunday service. The 74 year-old said: “I go to the eight o’clock morning community service every Sunday morning.”