Vale of Glamorgan Council is looking at increasing the cost of parking at coastal hot spots as part of its budget proposals this year. The plans form part of a raft of potential changes, including a hike in day care charges and the introduction of new fees for waste collections.
If the proposals are rubber-stamped, residents in the Vale could see a new charge brought in for green waste collections and another for recovering personal items from gullies and drainage systems. Another increase put forward is a council tax increase of 4.9%. Below you can see a breakdown of some of the charges and fees that council has proposed to increase and bring in. You can get the latest WalesOnline newsletters e-mailed to you directly for free by signing up here.
Parking
Car parking charges at the county's popular coastal spots could be set to increase. The council said that it is looking to increase the one-hour parking rate at coastal resorts from £1 to £1.10, and the all-day charge from £6 to £6.50. Meanwhile, charges for parking after 4pm at coastal locations are due to increase from £1 to £1.10 for up to one hour and from £3 to £3.25 for the over-one-hour charge.
A council report on the proposed fees and charges states that increases are being considered due to the increased popularity of the Vale's coastal resorts and the cost of maintaining them. The authority is looking at keeping car parking charges in town centres at the same level they are currently set at. A further review of car parking charges across the county will be carried out as part of a car park review that is being undertaken to support the 2023/24 budget proposals.
Read more: 'Businesses object to council plan to increase charge for outdoor seating by as much as £750 a year'
Social services
The council is proposing an uplift for day service fees in the county to meet expected levels of inflation. The council is proposing that charges for their internal day services which cater for people with learning disabilities go up by more than £10, from £110 per day to £121.77 per day. Day service charges for older people could go from £64.70 per day to £71.62 per day, and for people with a physical disability it could go up from £61.50 to £68.08.
Waste collection
An increase of 25% in bulky waste disposal fees is being considered by the council. As part of the proposal, the cost of having up to three bulky waste items collected on the kerbside could go up from £20 to £25. However, the council is looking to keep the charge for having additional items collected at £5 per item.
A report on the proposed fees and charges states: "A higher increase is not yet proposed as to decrease the risk of residents disposing of bulky waste dangerously and by themselves, which would ultimately cost more." It was revealed in January that they are looking at bringing in a new charge for green waste collections, which will come in the form of an annual subscription payment for the collection of garden waste once per fortnight between March and November.
Sports and leisure
A slight increase in the cost for youth and senior football and rugby teams to hire pitches in the Vale has been proposed by the council. As part of the plans, senior teams will be looking at a fee of £60.60 per match for the hire of a pitch and changing facilities, as opposed to the £57.70 per match that they currently pay.
Youth sides could see a £1.70 increase in the cost to hire a pitch and changing facilities per match, whilst junior sides could see an increase of 60p per match. The council said the level of fee increase being proposed is intended to promote health and wellbeing in the Vale whilst also allowing the authority to meet the rising cost of maintaining pitches and changing rooms.
Charges for businesses
The council is looking at increasing the cost paid by businesses to have outdoor seating on pavements by as much as £750 for the year. Businesses that have between five and 10 tables on pavements might have to pay £500 more than what they already do. This would take the cost of their outdoor seating licence from £500 to £1,000 for the year.
Businesses that have 11 or more tables with more than 40 chairs outside their premises could be looking at a cost of £1,500 for the year. The council's proposed fees and charges will be put to the authority's scrutiny committees in February, and cabinet members will meet on February 27 to make a final decision on the proposals.
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