Gloucestershire County Council delayed to its planned annual update to on-street parking charge earlier in the year due to the coronavirus situation.

They have now revealed that the change will take place from next month (September 2020).

The proposed three per cent increase in on-street parking charges is designed to gradually bring the cost of on-street parking back in line with the cost of parking in off-street car parks, which are operated by district councils. It is estimated delaying the change has cost the council £14,500.

Permit prices will also increase slightly, and the successful "pay per minute" cashless alternative for short stay visitors will have a new minimum charge of 50p or £1, depending on location. Charges at Arle Court Park and Ride will stay the same. All information will be clearly displayed on the machines.

Cllr David Norman, the cabinet member responsible for parking, said: "It's never a good time for parking charges to go up, even by a small amount, but I couldn't agree to any increase during lockdown. There has been a cost as a result - but I think that was the right decision. We follow district council parking charges, because its important to be consistent, and because district car parks are generally better in terms of road safety and congestion than people parking on-street.

"Any surplus money is dedicated to either repairing roads and footpaths, or on things like buses and community transport that help reduce pressure on the roads."

Before last year, charges in many of town and city centre parking bays had not increased for more than ten years and the council's business and resident permit costs had been frozen since 2011.