Councillors back a Sevenoaks parking charge freeze from April 2027, with cash phased out and a weekend charge at Gordon Road. Cabinet decides on 20 October.

Parking charges in Sevenoaks District Council car parks will not rise next April if Cabinet agrees. Councillors on the Cleaner and Greener committee backed a freeze at their meeting on Thursday night.

The price of the freeze is the end of cash at council pay machines, and a new daily charge at weekends in the Gordon Road car park. (Sevenoaks District Council, Councillors propose parking charge freeze, 2 October 2026)

Cabinet makes the decision on 20 October. If it agrees, the changes start on 1 April 2027.

What the committee backed

The council says the package covers:

  • No rise in car park or on-street charges, or in season tickets, permits and vouchers
  • A daily charge at weekends in the Gordon Road car park in Sevenoaks, which is free on Saturdays and Sundays now
  • Cash phased out as a way to pay for parking

It is the second of the two options we reported on Tuesday. The first was a 2.5% rise on all fees and charges.

The officers’ report priced the Gordon Road charge at £5 a day. It put the income from the weekend charge at £60,000 a year, and from ending cash collection at £22,000. Nine new spaces at Blighs car park would bring in another £38,000. (Annual Parking Management Review, Fees and Charges 2027/28) Friday’s announcement does not give the weekend price, and the minutes of the meeting are not yet published.

Why the council wants to end cash

The council says cash is expensive to collect and bank, and is the least used way to pay. It says 89% of parking payments now come through mobile phone apps or cards.

That matches its annual parking report for 2025/26. MiPermit (app, web or phone) took 67% of payments, contactless cards 22% and cash 11%. (Annual Parking Report 2025/26)

The council says the Gordon Road income and the cash savings will help pay rising running costs. It lists power, business rates, insurance, maintenance, enforcement, CCTV and security, plus work on safety, drainage and lighting.

Most other Kent councils are raising parking charges by about 2.5% to cover inflation, its benchmarking shows.

What the councillor said

Cllr Irene Roy is the Cabinet Member for Cleaner and Greener. She said: “Despite significant increases in our costs, we are proposing to freeze our current parking charges from April to support businesses, residents and visitors.

“At the same time, as part of setting a balanced budget, we are proposing to introduce weekend charges in the Gordon Road car park.”

On cash, she said: “Like most other businesses, we have seen cash payments dwindle in recent years. Parking is no different, as customers choose the convenience of paying by card or phone.”

What it means for you

  • Nothing changes before 1 April 2027, and only if Cabinet agrees on 20 October.
  • If you pay with coins, you will need to switch to a card, the MiPermit app, the MiPermit website or the phone line. All of them already work in every council car park.
  • If you park free at Gordon Road at weekends, that is set to end. Our page on free parking in Sevenoaks lists the places that still charge nothing.
  • Everyone else pays the same as now for another year.

Our guide to parking in Sevenoaks has every council car park and its MiPermit location number.

Cabinet papers for 20 October will be published on the council’s committee website and meeting calendar. Residents can email their ward councillor before then.

Sources

Image: Sevenoaks District Council Offices, by Richard Kelly, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sevenoaks_District_Council_Offices.jpg. Photographed in December 2023.