It appears that officials at the York Council have been selling parking spaces at a discount to some local hoteliers.
2015 off street parking charges click
Several hotels don’t have their own parking spaces and direct guests to Council car parks. It appears that they may have been sold scratch cards (which entitle the holder to park for 24 hours) at a rate below commercial levels.
A report, considered by a Council official on Thursday, suggests that the discounts had not be formally authorised and auditors have now been called in to assess the level of any loss.
A temporary replacement scheme is being introduced which will reflect the current commercial 24-hour parking rates (£12 per day). The new scratch card will not be available for short stay (premium) car parks like Castle and Esplanade.
Season ticket parking charges 2015 click
The Council says that it will ask the responsible Executive member to consider whether a more commercially viable offer can be made to hoteliers. The Council is next due to revise its car parking charges in February.
It is not known how much the unauthorised discount on scratch cards has cost taxpayers.
Scratch cards are sometimes used by Council officials and have promoted some Freedom of Information enquires in the past. Here and here
Respark charges 2015 click
An annual contract parking season ticket at the Foss Bank car park currently costs £770.
The Councils web site gives details of the Visitor Permit System (click). Visitor permits – restricted to Respark zones – come in books of 5, each book costs £5.50. Local residents may buy a maximum of 6 books per calendar month and 40 books in a year.
Details of Guest House permits costs can be found by clicking here
