Perth Council Knocks Back Parking Relief for Homeowners
Perth city administrators have rejected a proposed parking voucher program that would have helped residential property owners and tenants cover tradespeople parking costs during maintenance work. The motion, put forward by Councillor Liam Gobbert in August, sought to establish a Street Parking Fee Waiver Voucher Program but was met with opposition from city administration.
The Proposed Solution for Parking Woes
Cr Gobbert's motion called for creating a system where residents could access a set number of vouchers each financial year to enable tradespeople to carry out works without passing on parking costs to homeowners. He highlighted that many residential properties across Perth lack dedicated service or visitor bays, and where they exist, they're often in high demand.
"For residents that don't have access to these parking areas, tradespeople needing to access residential properties to undertake maintenance works are required to park on or off-street, incurring additional service charges which are often passed on to residents," Cr Gobbert explained in his reasoning.
The current parking rates present significant costs for homeowners undertaking maintenance:
- $77 per day for each bay Monday to Saturday
- $38.50 for half-day bookings
- $38.50 flat rate for Sunday bookings
Administration's Cost Concerns
In response to the proposal, general manager of commercial services Steve Holden stated the motion was "not supported" due to substantial implementation costs and potential revenue loss.
"The proposed Street Parking Fee Waiver Voucher Program would require procurement of an appropriate system, additional resourcing (currently estimated at four to seven additional FTE), and potential foregone revenue to the city," Mr Holden said.
The administration revealed concerning financial projections:
- The city processed only 184 applications for single full-day and half-day bay reservations in 2024/25
- Total revenue from these applications was $10,780
- If approximately half of all residents used three vouchers each, this could grow to 24,000 bookings
- Potential revenue waiver could reach $1.8 million annually
Mr Holden also highlighted operational challenges, noting that bay reservations are labour intensive as they require officers to install hoods over signs and meters, place cones in reserved bays, and later remove them.
Broader Implications and Next Steps
The administration raised additional concerns about fairness, suggesting that if such a program were introduced, it might need to be extended to all ratepayers including businesses, creating even broader financial implications.
Cr Gobbert had compared his proposal to existing voucher systems in other jurisdictions, such as the bulk waste collection services at the City of Joondalup and the WA Government's KidSport program. He argued that "a Street Parking Fee Waiver Voucher Program would provide ratepayers with some certainty knowing that they are going to be able to arrange a tradesperson to visit their property for basic maintenance jobs and make it easier for people to live in the city."
The council is scheduled to make a final decision on the motion at their Ordinary Council meeting on Tuesday November 18. The rejection by administration signals significant hurdles for the proposal, despite its aim to reduce living costs for Perth residents requiring maintenance work on their properties.
