An ongoing review of car parking charges following the creation of Dorset Council aims to make car park charging more comparable across the council area. Councillors agreed in December to:

• Increase the all-day charge from £2 to £8 in Lyme Regis and West Bay
• Extend morning charges in Purbeck to begin at 8am
• Implement Sunday charging where this isn’t already in place
• Allow drivers using car parks in West Bay and Lyme Regis to choose to park for one hour, two hours, three hours, four hours, six hours or all-day, with one hour’s parking starting at 50p and the all-day tariff now £6 in the low season and £8 during the peak season (April to October inclusive)

Long stay parking permits (season tickets) are available for workers via the Dorset Council website. A 12-month permit will cost from £230, working out as 63p per day.

A recommendation to extend all evening charges to 8pm was withdrawn following concerns voiced by many town and parish councils.

Dorset Council’s portfolio holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, Cllr Ray Bryan, said, “I feel that these changes strike a balance between supporting our town centres and high streets, as well as ensuring charging is fair and can sustain our car parks across the county.

“The standardisation of car park charging times across the council area will provide residents and visitors with a seamless transition from town to town, knowing exactly when they will need to pay at one of our car parks.

“We’re continuing our work to make car park charging more comparable across the council area, which will include in depth discussions with town and parish councils and local accessibility groups. This includes exploring the idea of a council-wide shoppers permit.”

Dorset Council will also offer town councils six free parking days in council car parks each year. This is made up of Small Business Saturday in December, one weekday in December and four days for events that generate valuable footfall for each town.