The city of Greater Manchester that saw the biggest increase in parking charges

Oldham has seen one of the biggest increases in parking costs in the UK over the past two years. The council has doubled its charges from 2022, making it the third biggest increase among local authorities.

Motorists in Oldham have seen charges rise from 88p to £1.66 from 2022, according to freedom of information requests made by Churchill Motor Insurance. Only Sandwell Council in the West Midlands (which increased its charges from 40p to 98p) and Renfrewshire Council in Scotland (from 60p to £1.25) saw higher percentage increases.

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A spokesman for Oldham council replied: “Almost every council in the country charges for parking and we understand that people don’t want to pay for it and how unpopular the increases are.

“But any tax increase is not about raising money for the council.

“The parking service must be funded and by law any surplus money generated by parking fees and charges must be spent on improving public transport, road safety systems and improving air or environmental quality. This includes helping to maintain roads, sidewalks and bike paths, and repairing potholes and other improvements. The costs of carrying out these works have all increased in recent years.”

There are a number of council-owned car parks in the city center where motorists can park for free for up to three hours on Saturdays and Sundays, including at the Civic Centre, Bow Street and outside Tommyfield Square. But the spokesman encouraged people to use public transport and alternative forms of transport instead.

However, with some parts of the neighborhood only accessible by limited bus services, many residents have no choice but to use their cars and pay the toll.

Oldham is not the only local authority to raise parking charges. Charges have risen by more than 10% on average across the UK, according to the insurance company’s analysis. And overnight parking charges have risen by more than 20pc, according to analysis of 138 FOI responses received from local authorities.