Cash payments could be limited to just two council-run car parks in York if recommendations are approved.

The proposal is contained in a report from City of York Council's director of environment, transport and planning which will go to a meeting with the executive member for economy and transport on Tuesday (February 20). 

On street parking machines could also be removed and payment by phone would be the only way to reserve council-designated street parking, if officers’ recommendations are taken up.

One reason being given for the removal of using coins for parking is that the cost of collecting and banking parking machine cash is not affordable.

 In January the council reported a budget gap of £40 million over the next four years.

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The report documents say that in March 2022, a budget decision was made by the full council to make a saving on the cash collection contract by removing the option for customers to pay cash for parking.

The council documents say current savings projected by the council of collecting cash from parking machines is £60,000, down from £90,000 at the time the cost was removed from the 2022/23 budget.

Documents to be presented to Councillor Pete Kilbane say that cash payments would end for all council car parks other than two which council documents identified as ‘gold standard’ - Bootham Row and Castle - the latter car park being set for ‘re-purposing’ by the current Labour-run administration as part of the Castle Gateway plan.

Alternative options are to continue to accept cash or remove cash payments across the entire council parking ‘estate’, but officers recommended consideration should be given to a cashless parking consultation carried out between October 23 and December 4 last year.

Labour bosses signed off the consultation soon after being elected last year.

793 responses were received and almost 63 per cent of those said they paid for parking by cash.

About 74 per cent of respondents did not support the decision for parking machines to move to cashless payments only.

Whilst council officers said that drivers who pay by cash would have been most likely to answer a survey of this type that there was ‘a reasonable number wanting to see the cash option available’.

The majority of comments about the need for cash payments in the consultation referred to a lack of confidence in council car-parking machines ability to accept digital transactions, and that the administration fee involved in paying by phone ‘seemed to be’ the biggest item of concern from the consultation.

The council officers said Pay by Phone - operators of York’s payment by phone app - cannot reduce its fee and the council will review it when the contract expires in spring 2025.