SOUTHEND ranked in the top half of cities with the most expensive parking prices, a new study has revealed

Parking is always a popular topic of discussion, whether it’s the amount of spaces available or how much it costs to park in a particular area.

Data from parking service provider Parkopedia has been analysed by direct lender Cashfloat to find out the most expensive spots in the United Kingdom.

Southend ranked 19 of 76 places however the city ranked 35 when taking into consideration parking spots run by Southend Council.

Southend Council runs 29 parking spots with an average two hour parking price of £2.99.

Kevin Buck, Southend councillor responsible for highways, transport and parking, said: “Although the council runs the majority of public parking in the city, it does not run all those listed in the survey including the Southend Airport car parks which are in the Rochford District and have been incorrectly listed as Southend which skews the figures somewhat.

"However, as an administration we recognise that parking fees have risen over recent years, and that is why we are proposing to freeze car parking charges in 2024/25. Whilst we would love to reduce them, with the financial challenges we face, that is just not possible.

"The city has four parking zones run by the council with varying fees, and also offers the Southend Pass which offers up to 12 hours parking a day across our four zones at a significantly reduced fee compared to pay and display parking and is extremely good value for money.

“We would encourage local people and visitors to consider buying one so that they can visit our great City and access affordable and flexible parking."

Echo readers were asked to voice their opinions on whether parking was reasonable in their area.

Karen Mig said: “No, I’d rather drive to Lakeside for the same parking cost in petrol, have free unlimited parking and have a better variety of shops because many of Southend shops have closed down.”