Parking charges in Plymouth are no more expensive than anywhere else in the south west, the leader of the city council has claimed.

Cllr Tudor Evans has been defending the recent rises in on-street and off-street parking charges by as much as 30 cents in the city.

At an online hustings event hosted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service on Thursday ahead of the local elections on May 7, he said: “This is the first raise that Labour has done since it became in control of the council in 2023”, adding “The Tories raised it quite regularly in Plymouth.”

“It’s no more expensive than anywhere else in the south west.”

Labour says the move to increase charges and permits is necessary to run the parking service and carry out enforcement for bad driving around schools.

Among the changes are plans to introduce a £2 parking charge at coastal car parks, including Jennycliff, Mount Batten, and Strand Street, which are currently free.

But these have been criticised by members of the public, residents and opposition councillors.

Cllr Steve Ricketts, leader of Reform UK Plymouth, said residents’ permits had more than doubled from £30 in 2018 to £63 in 2026: “This absurdity must come to an end, it cannot be right.”

He claimed that whenever budget decisions needed to be made, Labour and the Conservative administration before them looked to increasing parking charges.

“It is eyewatering the amount the permits have gone up and people are avoiding going into the city centre,” he said.

Hustings panel members from across political persuasions agreed that improving public transport would be key to encouraging people out of their cars, but were concerned that the city centre would be lacking in car parking spaces for residents of the 10,000 new homes planned.

Cllr Evans said undercroft parking, with spaces located at ground level below buildings, was normal in urban developments and would happen in Plymouth.

The city centre is currently being “masterplanned” to decide where all the new homes, green spaces and infrastructure will go.

Previously, the council has suggested that spare capacity in car parks would be used for residents’ parking.

Developments in the making, such as the 135 Bath Street affordable homes and the community diagnostics centres at Colin Campbell Court, are being promoted as “car free” developments in the hope that people will use public transport and walk and cycle instead.

Leader of the Greens, Lauren McLay, said the party wanted to bring public transport into public hands so buses and trains were “run for service and not for profit”.

Liberal Democrat candidate for Compton, Richard Bray, said affordability and reliability were key, and Alex Sampson from the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, standing in Sutton and Mount Gould, spoke out for free public transport with more investment to make buses an option that people would want to choose.

Independent candidate for Drake Chaz Singh said Labour was “ fleecing” the residents of Plymouth who could no longer park for one hour but had to park for a minimum of two hours.

Ben Manning, standing for the Conservatives in Plympton Chaddlewood, referred to a comment made by Labour cabinet member for transport John Stephens about people getting on the bus if they didn’t like the parking charges.

 “If the buses showed up that would be useful,” he said.