Sunday Parking Charges in Salisbury
Have your Say
What Is Being Proposed?
You may already have heard in the press or in social media about Wiltshire Council’s intention to align Sunday parking tariffs with weekday rates. If this goes ahead, it would mean that a three-hour stay in Salt Lane car park would rise to £5.90 on a Sunday, with a maximum stay of three-hours.
The proposals have already been approved by Wiltshire Council’s Environmental Select Committee and Cabinet, but still have to go to a full budget & council-tax-setting Meeting of the Council on 24th February. Whilst a Statutory Public Consultation will subsequently have to take place, it would only be fair to the Council to express any reservations about these proposals as soon as possible.
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
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):
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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.
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.
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.
We also note that Muslims, for example, have alternative parking arrangements for Friday Prayers, including the use of the Quaker Meeting Room car park on Wilton Road and park & ride facilities.
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.
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Impact on City-Centre Traders
Traders in the city-centre are likely to lose revenue. Sunday shopping is often more relaxed, with no need to watch the time due to the current flat-rate parking charge. Higher charges risk discouraging people from visiting and shopping on Sundays altogether.
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.
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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.
Have Your Say
These proposals and their financial implications will form part of the Wiltshire Council budget for the financial year 26/27 and will be discussed and debated at the next Full Wiltshire Council meeting on 24th February.
If you share our concerns, please email Salisbury County Councillors ahead of this date. It will be most effective if you explain in your own words why this proposal needs to be rethought, rather than simply copying text.
The more emails councillors receive, the more likely they are to take notice.