Brighton and Hove City Council is set to slash parking fees in bid to attract more drivers and boost income.
The local authority had expected to bring in £45.5m from parking this year but is more than £1m short.
It said it hoped cutting fees would ‘increase use during quieter periods, support the night-time economy and encourage drivers to our under-used car parks’.
A council report says: ‘It is recognised that over the past five years parking tariffs in Brighton and Hove have increased to the extent they have become more of a deterrent than an incentive and prohibitively expensive for some visitors.
‘This has led to fewer cars coming into the city centre to park.’
The changes will see one-hour fees reduced in off-street car parks, including from £5.50 to £4 in The Lanes and from £3 to £2 on London Road.
A 24-hour weekday tariff in Regency Square will be cut from £32 to £25.
In some car parks, drivers will be able to pay £7.50 to stay from 6pm until 8am, which would currently cost £15.
Cabinet member for transport, parking and public realm, Trevor Muten, said: ‘The parking review told us that high car park prices were deterring some people from coming into the city.
‘Reducing one hour and evening tariffs will make it cheaper for those wanting to shop, eat and drink.’
