Council considers scrapping cash parking payments as machine repairs cost £140,000

A report to the council said some of the cost was due to machines being vandalised or targeted by thieves.

The local authority operates 92 machines at 73 on and off-street car parks across the district.

Drivers also have the option to pay using credit or debit cards, or via a smartphone app.

Figures show the cost of machine repair and maintenance was around £140,000 during the 2023/24 financial year.

During the same period, the council also spent a further £37,000 on collecting cash from machines.

Details of the costs are outlined in a “strategic parking assessment” commissioned by the council.

It said: “Pay and display machines that take cash can also be a target of vandalism.

“For example, the coin vault is targeted and cash that has been collected is stolen.”

The report said it was “difficult to quantify” the exact cost attributable to vandalism as it is recorded under “repairs/maintenance”.

It added: “This does not include lost revenue while the pay and display machine was out of service.”

The document also outlined the pros and cons of removing cash payments for parking.

It said the benefits could a reduction in spending on cash collections which would then allow for greater investment in technology and other car park infrastructure.

It said: “Vandalism should reduce because no cash would be held by the pay and display machine.

“This would reduce the cost of repairing/replacing vandalised machines, as well as instances of lost revenue while pay and display machines are not in service.”

Ending cash payments could also stop machines becoming out of order due to “coin jamming”, the report said.

“This would reduce the instances of lost revenue while pay and display machines are not in service, particularly in car parks and streets with only one pay and display machine.”

Listing the disadvantages, the report said ending cash payments could “digitally exclude” some users who did not have bank cards or smart phones.

The council currently uses the MiPermit digital parking system, which is not in operation in surrounding local authority areas.

The report said: “Users from outside of Wakefield district (commuters, leisure users etc) may need to download separate apps to pay for parking, which can be a source of frustration.”

The app often generates a ‘convenience fee’ that councils often pass on to the user, which means it is a more expensive means of payment than by card or cash.

Poor mobile phone signal in some areas was also seen as a barrier to relying on app-based payments.

Any proposals to remove cash payments would need to be accompanied by an equality impact assessment.

As of June 2023, 22 councils across England had started making the transition to cashless payments.

Some councils completely removed pay and display machines, while others chose to phase out cash payments and retain the option of paying by credit or debit card.

The report also said: “Wakefield Council has an opportunity to engage with local authorities who have already, or are, making the transition to cashless payments and learn from their experiences to improve the transition across the district.”

The council’s regeneration, environment and economic growth scrutiny committee is expected to discuss the report at a meeting on January 15.

Coun Matthew Morley, Wakefield Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning and Highways, said: “We’ve had an independent assessment into parking carried out which has given us a number of things to consider.

"And although cashless parking has been included in this, I just want to reassure residents that this is not something we are considering.”