Council confirms cost of paying for parking with app has not increased after councillor’s question

At Full Council on 6 November 2023, Councillor Nunn queried being charged 10p more than usual for parking in a council car park and paying via the app.   

The council has confirmed that there is no administration charge to use the Pay by Phone app. However, customers have the option to receive a text alert when they pay for their stay which sends a text message to advise when the parking session is coming to an end. The customer can either extend their parking session remotely or return to their vehicle. There is a 10p charge by Pay by Phone for this additional service, which is not retained by the council but goes to the service provider.

Leader of Harborough District Council, Cllr Phil Knowles, said: “A question about a possible 10p rise in the cost to park was raised by Cllr Nunn during questions on the leader’s report. It’s been confirmed that there is a 10p charge for an additional, optional service which sends a reminder by text message when a parking session is going to expire. This extra, optional cost does not go to the council but goes to the provider to pay for the additional service.

“The public gallery was full on Monday evening and several members of the public were very interested in this question. Therefore it’s important that we share clarification on this with them and all our residents.” 

See www.harborough.gov.uk/parking for more information about council car parks in the district.