Implications for us at SMC

If you come to church by car (and are not a blue-badge holder) it would in future cost you £5.90 to park in the Salt Lane Car Park (from, say, 10 am to 12.30 pm), instead of the current £1.90 Sunday flat-rate.

You would be limited to 3 hours maximum (with no return within 4 hours) – so, for instance, anyone coming to 8 am Early Communion would not be able to leave their car in the car park for the 10.30 Morning Service; this new time limit would also impact anyone wanting to return for an afternoon event at SMC.

Central Car Park Long Stay would be a little cheaper (new rate – £5.30 for up to 3 hours) with no maximum stay, but that car park is half-a-mile by foot from SMC.

On-street parking would also be chargeable on Sundays.

If you opted to use public transport instead, there are limited bus services on a Sunday and no (cheaper) park and ride services.

Parking charges would apply from 7 am to 7 pm, every day. This would affect parking for Rainbows, Brownies and Guides who all start before 7 pm. It would also be an added cost for those attending Circuit Services at SMC (currently usually starting at 4 pm).

Our Concerns

There are good reasons why Wiltshire Council need to raise parking revenue – for instance, to subsidise bus transport for rural areas and community transport schemes  But the proposed changes to tariffs and parking hours in Salisbury on Sundays are deeply unfair.

Our concerns about the proposal to align Sunday charges with weekday charging are as follows (with particular reference to Salisbury and taking into account responses already received from the Council):

Impact on Churchgoers

Churchgoers needing to park on a Sunday would be presented with a considerable and unfair increase in costs, which in turn would jeopardise churches’ income. For instance, those attending Salisbury Methodist Church generally park from approximately 10 am to 12.30 pm in Salt Lane car park.

The current flat-rate is £1.90 per visit on a Sunday; the new charges for the same period would be £5.90, a 211% increase. Parking would also be limited to a maximum of three hours, instead of the current all-day Sunday parking.

Moreover, parking would be limited to a maximum of three hours, instead of the current all-day Sunday parking, at Salt Lane car park; and charging hours would run from 7 am to 7 pm (instead of the current 10 am to 4 pm); this would threaten the viability of some church events.

Given the acknowledged benefits that churchgoers bring to the local community, not least through extensive volunteering, this proposal would be an unwelcome additional financial constraint—especially as many churchgoers are relatively low-paid workers or retirees on fixed incomes. Churches play an important role in Salisbury’s social fabric, offering support services, community groups, and spaces for reflection and wellbeing. Making access more difficult on Sundays may inadvertently weaken this contribution.

Whilst the Methodist Church is committed to equality, diversity and inclusivity, and recognises the Council’s need to remain neutral in matters of religion and belief, the fact remains that only Christians have meeting places situated in Salisbury city-centre and would therefore be disproportionately affected.

This is not intended as special pleading for Salisbury alone, as similar effects would be felt elsewhere in Wiltshire where Sunday parking charges are levied.

Impact on City-Centre Traders

Traders in the city-centre are likely to lose revenue. Arguably, Sunday shopping is especially attractive to people because it can be more leisurely and there is no need to watch the time, given that there is simply a flat-rate parking charge. There is a risk that people may simply choose not to come and shop on a Sunday, if parking charges are raised, and choose instead to shop on-line or out-of-town.

It could be argued that shops not opening on Sundays are disadvantaged because their customers always pay weekday rates. However, no evidence has been provided that Salisbury shop owners who remain closed on Sundays feel disadvantaged.

Moreover, aligning Sunday charges with weekday rates could displace parking to other days, increasing pressure on parking spaces during the week.

Impact on Hospitality Businesses in the City-Centre

Hospitality businesses could lose custom and revenue. People dining out on a Sunday would need to factor in higher parking costs and would need to clock-watch. This would make for a less relaxed dining experience and could mean that they spend less or choose to dine somewhere else.

Disproportionate Effect on Salisbury

Salisbury would be unfairly impacted. Salisbury will bear the brunt of the changes, as, according the Council’s own figures, over 50% of the Council’s Pay & Display income is generated in Salisbury, with higher parking charges levied here compared to the rest of Wiltshire. Therefore, the tariff changes would disproportionately affect Salisbury.

By contrast, Trowbridge, for example, would be much less affected. In Trowbridge, the St Stephen’s Place car park is free-of-charge all week; there is only one short-stay car park and no limit for the duration of stay at the others; and the proposed new Sunday charges would be £3.70 per three hours (compared to £5.90 for the same period in Salisbury).

Need for Sunday Park & Ride

The extra cost of introducing park & ride services on a Sunday would likely need to be factored in. Wiltshire Council’s Parking Tariffs 2026 – 2030 document states that charges in Salisbury are based on incentivising the use of park and ride services.

If charges are being used as a policy tool to encourage changes in behaviour, such as promoting public transport, then park & ride must be available every day, including Sundays. Existing Sunday bus services are limited and more expensive for passengers.

Park & ride would therefore need to be a genuine alternative for those unable to afford increased Sunday city-centre parking charges.

Please note that these points are not intended to be party-political.

Alternative suggestions

There is scope to make creative suggestions which might address some of our concerns without totally nullifying the increases in Council revenue. We don’t after all want to come across completely negatively. Here are some potential suggestions: you may like to mention one or more of these and/or add your own when you engage in the Consultation –

• Might a Sunday-parking season ticket be introduced? This would benefit residents, churchgoers and shop workers, but would not decrease income from tourists and occasional visitors.
• Might the starting time for charging on a Sunday be delayed to, say, 11 am?
• Might the first hour of parking be free on a Sunday?
• Might the Winchester City Council solution work in Salisbury? In Winchester, ‘park and walk’ car parks are free on Sundays (5-10 minutes’ walk from the city centre)?
• Might all-day flat-rate parking be retained in at least one Salisbury car park (eg, Culver Street car park) at £2.30 (the current tariff + 20% inflation-increase)?
• Might parking tariffs be equalised across the major conurbations in Wiltshire, reducing Salisbury’s tariffs accordingly?

However, we also need to be clear in the Consultation about what is non-negotiable. Charging hours should not be extended either on Sundays or on Monday to Saturday. There should be no maximum parking period in any car park on Sundays.