Warning to drivers as parking charges across Fife set to be suspended

Motorists in Fife are being warned to continue paying for parking until charges are suspended from next Monday - or face fines.
Fife Council parkingFife Council parking
Fife Council parking

Councillors agreed today (Thursday) to suspend on and off-street fees until further notice following the imposition of new lockdown restrictions earlier this week.

Waiting restrictions have also been lifted to support key workers and encourage people to visit local businesses as and when it is safe to do so.

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Fife Council had previously suspended parking charges between April and August during the first lockdown.

Derek Crowe, senior manager for transportation and roads services, told the policy and co-ordination committee: "We're intending to keep some car parking staff in operation which was a lesson learned from last time."

Cllr Andy Heer asked whether it was a possibility that drivers parking between now and Monday without paying fees could receive a fine.

Mr Crowe replied that it "could happen".

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Across the rest of the week the Kingdom's parking meters will be bagged up and signage will be displayed advising that parking charges will be suspended.

Users of the RingGo cashless payment app will be notified that payments have been suspended.

However, the move is likely to create a larger dent in Fife's already damaged coffers. The council has a £73m Covid bill to contend with, which it is £11m short of paying for.

Parking fees typically bring in as much as £200,000 a month but it is thought that the suspension of charges will lead to a loss of £60,000 in income a month owing to a drop in use during lockdown.

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