Nine Tipperary towns to get back part of their parking charges revenue
Information on the new Tipperary County Council Returned Revenue Parking Scheme was outlined at Tipperary County Council’s monthly meeting
A portion of parking charges revenue collected in nine Tipperary towns is to be returned to each town and invested in projects to improve their retail centres as part of a new scheme introduced alongside the county's new parking bye-laws.
The new Tipperary County Council Returned Revenue Parking Scheme was outlined to councillors at their July meeting in Nenagh where the local authority’s 2026 Parking Bye-Laws were approved by the elected members.
Senior Engineer James Murray explained that a percentage of the revenue collected annually in Clonmel, Nenagh, Thurles, Tipperary Town, Cashel, Cahir, Carrick-on-Suir, Templemore and Roscrea, will be spent on town centre development in each of the towns.
He estimated this will amount to about €500,000 of parking revenue returning to the nine towns annually for capital investment or use as leverage to secure more funding for projects.
As part of the Council's annual budget process, the previous year's parking income for each town will be used to calculate the amount of parking revenue that will be returned.
Under the scheme, the Council will use the 2023 parking income for each town as the baseline they must achieve in order for funds to be returned to them.
Clonmel as the town that generates the most revenue will be in line for the largest return of revenue.
If the town's parking revenue for 2026 is the same as the €1,017,335 collected in 2023, it will, in theory, receive €233,987 back for investment in the town centre this year.
Tipperary Town where parking charges revenue amounted to €64,123 in 2023 would get €33, 542 back for investment if its revenue reaches that baseline this year.
However, if a town's parking revenue does not meet the 2023 income baseline, the town shall not qualify to avail of returned parking revenue.
And the sting in the tail is when the revenue is under the 2023 baseline, the shortfall will be transferred from a municipal district's General Municipal Allocation (GMA) to protect the revenue returned to central finance to maintain the parking system county-wide.
The GMA is a discretionary fund districts have to allocate to infrastructure upgrades, community groups, amenities, local festivals and other initiatives next year.
This measure prompted several councillors to voice concerns at the Council meeting that their towns and districts could end up being penalised with a loss of funding if the parking revenue doesn't meet 2023 levels.
Carrick-on-Suir councillors David Dunne of Sinn Féin and Kieran Bourke of Fianna Fáil were the first to object. They pointed out there are a lot of regeneration scheme works currently taking place in Carrick-on-Suir town centre and will be in the future, resulting in no income generated from some parking spaces.
Cllr Bourke reminded the Council there will be regeneration scheme works going on on Carrick's Main Street for 12 months. “I can assure you we won't meet our 2027 target. I want assurances that we won't be penalised on the GMA while works are going on in Carrick,” he asked.
Independent Cllr Andy Moloney from Poulnamucka said in Cahir they would prefer to give back the parking revenue rebate to the Council and have free one-hour parking in the town centre instead.
“It would mean far more than the rebate would,” he declared in support of the amendment passed by 19 votes to 17 at the meeting that gives towns the option to introduce an hour of free parking.
Cashel Independent Cllr Liam Browne agreed with the Carrick councillors concerns and noted that parking revenue will likely fall in Cashel when public realm works take place in the town centre causing major disruption to parking in the town.
“I certainly won't support anything that will take money from the GMA if we don't reach targets.”
Clonmel Fianna Fáil Cllr Siobhán Ambrose, however, welcomed the scheme as it will be the first time in 12 years Clonmel gets money back on the parking income generated in the town.
“I have no doubt we will be looking at putting the money we get back into capital projects to help to drive the town.”
Mr Murray responded that the Council set the 2023 parking revenue income levels as a baseline because it needed “some backstop” and insisted it was the Council's “desire” with this scheme to give money back to the towns. He explained the 2023 parking income level was a low bar to achieve. It was just after the Covid pandemic when parking revenue hadn't come back to the same levels as before the pandemic. He noted all nine towns exceeded the base line last year.
“It's not a stretch for a town to get to this level. The desire is to provide this money.”
He stressed the Council took into account situations where parking spaces can't be used in a town due to regeneration scheme and other infrastructure projects.
He assured councillors no town will be penalised because of loss of income due to regeneration projects.