Churchgoers fume over council’s plans to hike Sunday parking prices in ‘pay to pray’ row

Religious communities in Salisbury have mounted fierce opposition to Wiltshire Council's proposed overhaul of Sunday parking fees, claiming the changes would effectively impose a financial penalty on worship. The Liberal Democrat-controlled authority is consulting on plans that would scrap the current flat-rate system in favour of significantly higher charges. The proposed changes have prompted accusations from locals that they are being "charged to pray". Under the proposals, which form part of what the council describes as a "financially sustainable" parking strategy, worshippers would face substantially increased costs to attend services in the southwest England city. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Parking tariffs across Wiltshire have remained unchanged since 2022. The financial impact would be substantial, with the existing £1.90 all-day Sunday rate replaced by a fee of approximately £5.90 for just three hours of parking. Reverend John Proctor, of St Osmund's Church in the city, has warned that the consequences could be severe for his congregation. He noted how the changes would affect as many as 600 people who attend worship across four services each Sunday. "Those who are struggling already will have to decide what they can give to the church to cover all the running costs and all the activities we do," Reverend Proctor told the BBC. Salisbury already holds the distinction of being Wiltshire's most expensive location for parking, leading critics of the proposal to fear for a further decline in the city's parking viability. Sue Gilbert, a member of Salisbury Methodist Church, further expressed concern that the fee increases would lead to declining attendance at services. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: British tourist dead and more than 20 injured after bus crashes into ravine on Canary Islands Child left in A&E for over 70 days as nowhere found to provide right care for behavioural problems Life in 'Britain's most...