Northampton parking charges generated more than £50,000 on weekends after free parking was scrapped
New data has shown that the council made more than £50,000 just on weekend car parking charges in April, after removing its two-hour free parking period.
West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has said that weekly averages of car park visitors slightly increased from March to April 2026, which they say indicates that higher charges have not had a direct impact on reducing car park visitors.
The council voted to approve parking charge hikes for Northampton in West Northants Council’s 2026/27 budget, which briefly saw a rise in hourly rates and the removal of free blue badge and two-hour free weekend parking in town centre car parks.
Despite the changes coming in from April 1, they were only in place for around three weeks after it was revealed that they were implemented “in error”, prior to WNC carrying out a statutory public consultation. The council has since reverted to the previous charges and said it will issue refunds for April as it looks to correct the legal process, however the higher fees could still be reintroduced.
According to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, April parking figures show the authority has seen an increase in its income compared to the same period last year.
Across the four weekends in April 2026, WNC made £52,628 income for its off-street car parks – an average of £6,578 each day. In comparison in April 2025, the council made £37,757 income for parking on weekends, roughly £4,720 per day.
Despite raking in almost £15k more in parking fees, the number of motorists using the town centre car parks actually dropped from an average of 5,000 per day last year to just under 4,000 using the council car parks on Saturdays and Sundays.
The large increase in income, despite lower usage, is likely due to the removal of the two-hour free period and the increase in the weekend day charge from £2.20 to £3.
The averages also include the final weekend of April 2026, when the council realised it had made an error in the legal process and temporarily paused all parking fees in affected car parks. When this final weekend is disregarded and compared as a three-week period, WNC’s car parking income this April was 80 per cent higher than the amount earned in 2025.
Council data on town centre footfall also indicates a 20 per cent drop in the figures from the previous year. The average number of visitors each weekend in April 2026 was 90,726, compared to 116,954 in the same month in 2025.
While the number of cars parked in the council’s town centre car parks does not directly correlate to town centre footfall, there is a visible trend that the higher the number of cars parked, the higher the town centre footfall will be.
Chief operating officer at Northampton Town Centre BID, Mark Mullen, said: “These figures reinforce the concerns raised by businesses over the potentially negative impact raising car parking charges can have on the town centre economy.
“Higher charges, and the removal of free parking periods, act as a barrier to entry for many visitors and make it harder for businesses to attract and retain skilled staff.
“In the context of these figures, we would appreciate the opportunity to voice these concerns with West Northamptonshire Council and work together to devise a parking strategy that works for everyone.”
Responding to the concerns, a spokesperson for West Northants Council said: “The parking payment machines were turned off from 24 April to 01 May, so figures are not reflective of a complete month and reduced the number of vehicles counted.
“Based on the weekly average, March 2026 had 35,440 visitors per week and April 2026 had 35,887, which is a slight increase. The indications are that the increase in charges has not had a direct impact on reducing car park visitors.”
The LDRS also asked WNC if it could provide an update on the Traffic Regulation Order process, which the council must carry out to bring in the proposed 2026/27 fees, and what the next steps and timeline will be.
A spokesperson said that the consultation responses, which closed on May 14, are currently being reviewed and that a further update will be given once that work is complete.