Parking charges across North Herts will rise by four per cent in April, it has been confirmed.

Resident permit costs will also go up for the first time since 2013, and there may be an end to free parking after 3pm in Royston town centre.

North Herts Council's cabinet agreed the changes, which are set to boost coffers by £83,700 a year, at their meeting on Tuesday (11 February).

This means most peak-time tariffs for council car parks across the district will rise by ten pence, with, for example, a one-hour stay at Bancroft in Hitchin going up from £1.30 to £1.40 and a three-hour stay at The Twitchell in Baldock increasing from £1.30 to £1.40.

A lower price for parking after 3pm will be introduced in Letchworth, with a flat rate tariff of £1.10 and £1.50 at different car parks, while Hitchin's existing post-3pm tariff will rise to £1.50 and £1.70.

Council officers said the lower cost after 3pm will help support businesses.

In Royston, where parking has until now been free after 3pm, the district council is planning to introduce a 50p flat rate for parking after that time in car parks, and in on-street spaces on Market Hill.

But there is still a possibility that parking will remain free, with Royston Town Council willing to subsidise parking.

Royston BID could also continue their own existing subsidy, which currently provides free parking after 3pm but has not increased in line with inflation.

The proposed 50p tariff has been reduced from £1 after a district council consultation with local stakeholders and following a petition opposing the changes.

Leader of the Labour-run district council, Cllr Daniel Allen, said parking charges in North Herts are increasing to "keep up with rising costs" – with the larger-than-normal increase following a freeze on charges for 2024/25.

The cost of season tickets in long-stay car parks in Hitchin, Letchworth and Royston will remain frozen for 2025/26.

Other changes set to be introduced include charging for electric vehicle parking bays from around the end of 2025/26, increasing the cost of resident parking permits – for the first time since 2013 – by £1 per six months, and changing the way people pay for parking.

New parking machines will be installed in the coming weeks that use a new 'tap in tap out' system.

Drivers will 'tap in' with a contactless card when they arrive and 'tap out' with the same card when they leave.

This means there will no longer be a need to display a ticket, though the option to pay with cash or by phone will remain available.

Cllr Allen said: "You put your registration number in when you arrive, you go off shopping, it measures how long you've been, and it tells you how much it will charge."

He added that the new technology should make "visits easier and more convenient".

Installation of the new machines will begin on 17 February and take six weeks in total.