'Extortionate' - Metropolitan considers budget draft amid parking fee dispute
The meeting was held at City Hall.
Councillors of the Metropolitan District of Waterford gathered on Thursday afternoon, October 16, to consider the draft Budgetary Plan.
Throughout the meeting, councillors argued over the price of parking, wardens, private developers and 'price gouging'.
Head of Finance at Waterford City and County Council (WCCC) Bernard Pollard said at the outset: "The two items we're discussing today is the General Municipal Application (GMA) and on the other hand car park charges, our local charges.
"It's a reserve function of the members to pass the Draft Budget Plan. We don't know yet what kind of non-discretionary we have to absorb in 2026. Really, the only binding decision we have here is on the car-parking charges."
Independent Councillor Davy Daniels suggested that a workshop be held before any final decision: "Over the year., it's come up numerous times, the parking fees, and its a big issue in the city."
Metro Mayor Adam Wyse (Fianna Fáil) responded: "The time for a workshop would have to have been well in advance, we're here to make a decision on the district budget today."
Mr Pollard added: "I wouldn't be against the workshop but in this moment in time, we're bound by the statutory timeframe so we have to get our district meetings done within 21 days of our budget meeting. We have very little scope to have a workshop between this."
Councillor Mary Roche (Social Democrats) compared the rates of Council parking against private parking, stating : "They are far, far more expensive than the €1.80 the Council are charging and even cheaper for Bolton Street, the Gas Works and Miller's' Marsh."
She went on: "I do think sometimes we get tarred by the same brush as the more expensive private carparks, which ironically a lot of them are ownded by the retail community. If it was affecting them, I think they would be in a position to drop those car parking prices. So they certainly mustn't feel that it's affecting them."
Councillor Joeanne Bailey (Sinn Féin), agreeing with Cllr Roche, said that parking in City Square Shopping had cost her €5.40 for 'an hour and 22 minutes'.
Mr Pollard said: "The income we're getting is about €1.9 million, obviously that's a budgeted figure."
On parking rates, Mr Pollard said: "We haven't increased the rates for almost 15 years so in real terms our parking income, when you put inflation into the figure, is down 30% of what it would've been 15 years ago."
He added: "I think Cllrs Roche and Bailey are 100% right, that the private carparks are multiples of public rates.
"I would say to the very competitive rates, we're not really covering a proposal to increase them. However, I suppose if you're offering, certainly we'd be very glad to take it."
Cllr Bailey raised an earlier query about introducing 'free parking' days throughout the city. Director of Services Michael Quinn said that Council will investigate the idea but it was not a priority: "The idea of giving free time or free periods tends to disrupt what is already a reasonably well thought-through parking program."
Labour Councillor Seamus Ryan welcomed the GMA but criticised the state of the parking in the city: "The mistakes in the parking were made years ago by the then-Waterford Corporation when they sold land car parking down on the Quays to private developers, and as a result, we lost control of the car parking on the Quays." On the Quays, two hours of parking can cost between €5.40 and €11. Cllr Ryan called the private charges 'extortionate' but added: "I would like us to engage with them to see if we can get the charges reduced."
Councillor Jason Murphy (Fianna Fáíl) noted the difference between the rates: "I agree with all the previous speakers regarding our own parking offering and how competitive it actually is when you compare it to the price gouging, let's be honest, that's going on in the private car park in the city."
He noted that the Council carparks are often full and called for more capacity: "I was slightly late for this meeting because I couldn't get a parking space down at Bolton Street." The Council approved holding a tentative workshop in the near future. (Funded by the Local Democracy Scheme)
