SUNDAY PARKING CHARGES are being proposed by Somerset Council. You have already said NO, clearly they are not listening.
Somerset Council previously stated that it would consider all feedback, positive and negative, received via its public consultation, before making a final decision. At the time, I welcomed this commitment and urged the Council to listen carefully to what I believed would be overwhelming public opposition to these proposals. The consultation result (late 2025) confirmed my forecast.
At the time I said, “It’s good to see that the consultation result (93% either disagreed or strongly disagreed with imposing Sunday charges) has at least moved the decision into next year, no dates given at this stage.” I went on to say, “A good result thus far however, the decision when made could still be in favour of introducing Sunday charges. It was confirmed that the result of the consultation would still be relevant.”
The Somerset Council Executive Committee agreed that, “Following the public consultation and further consideration the executive committee has agreed to defer the consideration of Sunday parking charges, where there are currently no charges until the parking policy principles have been formally approved.”
Well, here we are again, Somerset Council have proposed price increases across the county. From their website: “new tariffs for each car park could be introduced in December pending formal approval by Somerset Council’s Executive in September (now October). Charges will apply 7 days a week to all existing chargeable car parks and the new tariffs include the annual review of fees and charges which have not changed since 2025.”
It is my opinion that this change would place further strain on Taunton and Wellington’s already fragile economies and will almost certainly deter visitors at a time when we are working hard to promote our towns as vibrant destinations.
This proposal could also adversely affect the physical and mental wellbeing of our communities. Take, for example, the High Street and Fons George car parks near Vivary Park in Taunton.
On Sundays, these car parks are well used by a wide range of people: shoppers, churchgoers, walkers, golfers, tennis and bowls players, families enjoying the playground, and those simply meeting friends for coffee or enjoying a quiet moment on a bench. Many visit town centre restaurants and pubs, attend events in Vivary Park and at venues like The Lawns and the Creative Innovation Centre, or take part in outdoor exercise classes such as Pilates on Wilton Lands.
Free Sunday parking plays a vital role in making these activities accessible and attractive. If charges are introduced, I fear many will choose not to come, especially those who rely on their cars due to mobility, distance, or convenience. While some may argue that people could walk, cycle, or use public transport, the reality is that many prefer or need to drive, and free parking is a key factor in their decision to visit.
As for public transport, good luck finding a bus on a Sunday.
When this was discussed at a recent council Scrutiny meeting, the question was asked, would the (subsidised) Taunton Park & Ride service operate on Sundays assuming that parking charges were introduced? They said it would be looked into. It was clear that this had not even been considered, unbelievable!
When the proposed Sunday charges are introduced, vehicle displacement will become a major issue. Drivers seeking to avoid these fees will likely park in the residential areas surrounding the town centre. This scenario applies particularly to retail workers seeking free on-street parking, many of whom would effectively be working their first hour just to cover the daily parking cost. Although this concern was raised at the recent Scrutiny meeting and will reportedly be considered, it is highly concerning that it was not factored into the initial plans.
It is clear from the response of the people and businesses of Taunton and Wellington that they are overwhelmingly against the proposed Sunday parking charges. Along with looking again at some of the steep price increases, I ask Somerset Council to remove Sunday parking charges from their Somerset-wide parking review.
Each chargeable car park is to be placed in a price tier from 1-4, 1 being the most expensive. See below the current charges and the proposed charges for Taunton and Wellington.
You’ll note that the option to park for 3 hours has been removed, I’d have thought this would be a popular time period in many car parks. Using the Fons George car park as an example, it’s currently £2.40 for 2 hours, £3.60 for 3 hours and will go straight from £2.70 for 2 hours up to £4.40 between 2 and 4 hours, an increase of £2.00, a lot for someone wanting add say 30 minutes to their 2 hour stay. Will it encourage people to stay for 4 hours, I doubt it.
🅿️ Ash Meadows | Taunton
Short stay Pay and Display
Mon – Sat
£1.30 – 1 hours
£2.90 – 2 hours
£4.40 – 3 hours
Proposed Tier 2 changes
£1.50 – 1hr increase of .20
£2.70 – 2hr decrease of .20
£4.40 – 4hr an extra hour
🅿️ Belvedere Road | Taunton
Short and Long stay, Pay and Display
Mon – Sat
£1.30 – 1 hour
£2.60 – 2 hours
£4.00 – 3 hours
£5.30 – 4 hours
£7.60 – 5 hours
£9.20 – 6 hours
£10.20 – 7 hours
£10.80 – 10 hours
Proposed Tier 2 changes
£1.50 – 1hr
£2.70 – 2hr
£4.40 – 4hr
£8.90 All day
🅿️ Canon Street | Taunton
Short and Long stay, Pay and Display
Mon – Sat
£1.30 – 1 hour
£2.60 – 2 hours
£4.00 – 3 hours
£5.30 – 4 hours
£7.60 – 5 hours
£9.20 – 6 hours
£10.20 – 7 hours
£10.80 – 10 hours
Proposed Tier 1 changes
£1.90 – 1hr
£3.80 – 2 hr
£5.80 – 4hr
£12.50 All day
🅿️ Castle Street | Taunton
Short and Long stay, Pay and Display
Mon – Sat
£1.30 – 1 hour
£2.60 – 2 hours
£4.00 – 3 hours
£5.30 – 4 hours
£7.60 – 5 hours
Proposed Tier 2 changes
£1.50 – 1hr
£2.70 – 2hr
£4.40 – 4hr
£8.90 All day
£9.20 – 6 hours
£10.20 – 7 hours
£10.80 – 10 hours
🅿️ Coal Orchard | Taunton
Short stay Pay and Display
Mon – Sat
£1.30 – 1 hours
£2.90 – 2 hours
£4.40 – 3 hours
Proposed Tier 1 changes Mon-Sun
£1.90 – 1hr
£3.80 – 2 hr
£5.80 – 4hr
🅿️ Duke Street | Taunton
Short stay Pay and Display
Mon – Sat
£1.30 – 1 hours
£2.90 – 2 hours
£4.40 – 3 hours
Proposed Tier 2 changes Mon-Sun
£1.50 – 1hr
£2.70 – 2hr
£4.40 – 4hr
🅿️ Elms Parade | Taunton
Short stay Pay and Display
Mon – Sat
£1.30 – 1 hours
£2.90 – 2 hours
£4.40 – 3 hours
Proposed Tier 2 changes Mon-Sun
£1.50 – 1hr
£2.70 – 2hr
£4.40 – 4hr
🅿️ Enfield Car Park | Taunton
Short and Long stay, Pay and Display
Mon – Sat
£1.30 – 1 hour
£2.60 – 2 hours
£4.00 – 3 hours
£5.30 – 4 hours
£7.60 – 5 hours
£9.20 – 6 hours
£10.20 – 7 hours
£10.80 – 10 hours
Proposed Tier 2 changes Mon-Sun
£1.50 – 1hr
£2.70 – 2hr
£4.40 – 4hr
£8.90 All day
🅿️ Fons George | Taunton
Short and Long stay, Pay and Display
Mon – Sat
£1.20 – 1 hour
£2.40 – 2 hours
£3.60 – 3 hours
£4.80 – 4 hours
£7.00 – 5 hours
£8.40 – 6 hours
Proposed Tier 2 changes Mon-Sun
£1.50 – 1hr
£2.70 – 2hr
£4.40 – 4hr
£8.90 All day
🅿️ High Street | Taunton
Short and Long stay, Pay and Display
Mon – Sat
£1.30 – 1 hour
£2.60 – 2 hours
£4.00 – 3 hours
£5.30 – 4 hours
£7.60 – 5 hours
£9.20 – 6 hours
£10.20 – 7 hours
£10.80 – 10 hours
Proposed Tier 2 changes Mon-Sun
£1.50 – 1hr
£2.70 – 2hr
£4.40 – 4hr
£8.90 All day
🅿️ Kilkenny | Taunton
Short and Long stay, Pay and Display
Mon – Sat
£1.30 – 1 hour
£2.60 – 2 hours
£4.00 – 3 hours
£5.30 – 4 hours
£7.60 – 5 hours
£9.20 – 6 hours
£10.20 – 7 hours
£10.80 – 10 hours
Proposed Tier 2 changes Mon-Sun
£1.50 – 1hr
£2.70 – 2hr
£4.40 – 4hr
£8.90 All day
🅿️ Orchard Multi-Storey | Taunton
Short and Long stay, Pay and Display
Mon – Sat
£1.30 – 1 hour
£2.60 – 2 hours
£4.00 – 3 hours
£5.30 – 4 hours
£7.60 – 5 hours
£9.20 – 6 hours
£10.20 – 7 hours
£10.80 – 10 hours
Proposed Tier 2 changes Mon-Sun
£1.50 – 1hr
£2.70 – 2hr
£4.40 – 4hr
£8.90 All day
🅿️ Tangier | Taunton
Short and Long stay, Pay and Display
Mon – Sat
£1.30 – 1 hour
£2.60 – 2 hours
£4.00 – 3 hours
£5.30 – 4 hours
£7.60 – 5 hours
£9.20 – 6 hours
£10.20 – 7 hours
£10.80 – 10 hours
Proposed Tier 2 changes Mon-Sun
£1.50 – 1hr
£2.70 – 2hr
£4.40 – 4hr
£8.90 All day
🅿️ The Crescent | Taunton
Short stay, Pay and Display
Mon – Sat
£1.60 – 1 hour
£3.20 – 2 hours
£4.80 – 3 hours
Proposed Tier 1 changes Mon-Sun
£1.90 – 1hr
£3.80 – 2 hr
£5.80 – 4hr
🅿️ Victoria Gate | Taunton
Short and Long stay, Pay and Display
Mon – Sat
£1.30 – 1 hour
£2.60 – 2 hours
£4.00 – 3 hours
£5.30 – 4 hours
£7.60 – 5 hours
£9.20 – 6 hours
£10.20 – 7 hours
£10.80 – 10 hours
Proposed Tier 2 changes Mon-Sun
£1.50 – 1hr
£2.70 – 2hr
£4.40 – 4hr
£8.90 All day
🅿️ Whirligig | Taunton
Short stay Pay and Display
Mon – Sat
£1.30 – 1 hours
£2.90 – 2 hours
£4.40 – 3 hours
Proposed Tier 1 changes Mon-Sun
£1.90 – 1hr
£3.80 – 2 hr
£5.80 – 4hr
🅿️ Wood Street | Taunton
Short and Long stay, Pay and Display
Mon – Sat
£1.30 – 1 hour
£2.60 – 2 hours
£4.00 – 3 hours
£5.30 – 4 hours
£7.60 – 5 hours
£9.20 – 6 hours
£10.20 – 7 hours
£10.80 – 10 hours
Proposed Tier 2 changes Mon-Sun
£1.50 – 1hr
£2.70 – 2hr
£4.40 – 4hr
£8.90 All day
🅿️ County Hall | Taunton
Short and Long stay, Pay and Display
Saturday only
£1.30 – 1 hour
£2.10 – 2 hours
£2.40- 3 hours
£3.00 – 4 hours
£4.30 – 5 hours
£5.00 – 6 hours
£6.00 – 7 hours
£6.80 – 10 hours
Proposed Tier 1 changes Days need clarification
£1.90 – 1hr
£3.80 – 2 hr
£5.80 – 4hr
£12.50 All day
🅿️ Shire Hall | Taunton
Short and Long stay, Pay and Display
Saturday only
1.30 – 1 hour
£2.10 – 2 hours
£2.40- 3 hours
£3.00 – 4 hours
£4.30 – 5 hours
£5.00 – 6 hours
£6.00 – 7 hours
£6.80 – 10 hours
Proposed Tier 1 changes Days need clarification
£1.90 – 1hr
£3.80 – 2 hr
£5.80 – 4hr
£12.50 All day
🅿️ Longforth Road | Wellington
Short and Long stay, Pay and Display
Mon – Sat
£1.30 – 2 hours
£1.90 – 3 hours
£2.50 – 4 hours
£3.20 – 10 hours
Coaches: £3.20 Hours need clarification
Proposed Tier 3 changes Mon-Sun
£1.30 – 1hr
£2.10 – 2hr
£3.50 – 4hr
£6.80 All day
Coaches – £6.80 Hours need clarification
🅿️ North Street | Wellington
Short and Long stay, Pay and Display
Mon – Sat
£1.30 – 2 hours
£1.90 – 3 hours
£2.50 – 4 hours
£3.20 – 10 hours
Proposed Tier 3 changes Mon-Sun
£1.30 – 1hr
£2.10 – 2hr
£3.50 – 4hr
£6.80 All day
🅿️ South Street | Wellington
Short and Long stay, Pay and Display
Mon – Sat
£1.00 – 1 hour
£1.30 – 2 hours
£1.90 – 3 hours
£2.50 – 4 hours
£3.20 – 10 hours
Proposed Tier 3 changes Mon-Sun
£1.30 – 1hr
£2.10 – 2hr
£3.50 – 4hr
£6.80 All day
