In January 2018 Surrey County Council agreed to introduce car park charging in fifteen of the thirty car parks across its countryside estate with a view to generating new investment in Surrey’s countryside.

After a strong campaign involving the Liberal Democrats, the County Council’s Cabinet agreed, in July of 2018, that a review of the impact of car park charging would be undertaken after 12 months and that the decision would be reconsidered if the charges had not delivered a significant financial contribution to the countryside.

In the first year of the charges, the County Council raised £144,000 in parking charges with a cost of collection of £83,000, resulting in net income of £61,000. It also cost £300,000 for equipment and signage to set up the scheme.

This promised review has now taken place and has concluded that the small surplus has not delivered the significant contribution to the countryside and that charging to park in the County Council’s Countryside Estate should be withdrawn from 1 April 2020.