Council ‘pauses’ parking charges plan for Sutton Park

Birmingham councillors have welcomed news that controversial plans to introduce new parking charges at Sutton Park have been ‘paused’.

After becoming engulfed by a financial crisis in 2023, Birmingham Council proposed introducing new parking charges at three beauty spots in the city.

These were Sutton Park, Sheldon Country Park and Lickey Hills Country Park near the Worcestershire border.

These plans – proposed by the Labour administration at the time – proved divisive and triggered backlash from residents and opposition councillors.

But the authority – now run by a coalition including the Lib Dems and Greens – has recently revealed that it has ‘changed its position’ since the original parking proposals were developed.

At a meeting this week, cabinet members at the council agreed to “delay” the implementation of the charges at Sutton Park whilst the “future operational model” for the park is under review.

Cllr Deborah Harries, the cabinet member overseeing parks, confirmed the charges at Sutton Park had now been “paused” – a decision appreciated by opposition councillors.

However, Reform group leader Cllr Jex Parkin noted that a council report “postpones rather than cancels” the proposed charges at the park.

“I would ask cabinet commit to actually permanently abandoning parking charges at Sutton Park and ensure a future trust or management body cannot reintroduce them ,” he said.

Conservative group leader Cllr Robert Alden also welcomed the pause, saying: “We’ve been clear we [the Tories] didn’t agree with the parking charges in any of those three locations.

“Particularly when you look at Sutton Park, it is a nationally significant park.

“It does not just serve the people of Four Oaks who live around the northern side, it is actually also a major park for some of the most deprived communities in the city.

“The introduction of parking charges there, if it had gone ahead, would have made it very difficult for those communities who don’t live in walking distance and have no public transport route.”

Fellow Tory councillor Richard Parkin (Sutton Reddicap) described the pause as a “key step forward” but also called for the proposals to be axed permanently.

“Thank you to all residents who joined our campaign and signed our petitions to block the parking charges in Sutton Park,” he wrote on social media.

“These plans will not proceed whilst the review into the future running of Sutton Park takes place. We couldn’t have done it without you.

“We will continue to push for parking charges in Sutton Park to be scrapped permanently but for now we welcome this success as a key step forward.”

The pause comes amid a “long-standing aspiration” of both the city council and town council for Sutton Park to be placed in an independent trust.

“The city council […] recognises the importance of working in partnership with the town council on the best delivery model for this important asset,” the new report said.

“The city and town council will therefore jointly commission an external review to set out a Trust or different partnership models that could be applied to [Sutton Park].”

The council also recently confirmed that Lickey Hills is now the only site where new parking charges are being “progressed” during 2026/27.

It added that the proposed charges for Sheldon Country Park are being reviewed.

Birmingham Council previously said that “introducing charges at [the three parks] will bring Birmingham in line with similar places around the UK to offset the cost of maintaining this destination site.”

“Income from parking will be reinvested directly into maintaining and improving the park’s facilities, […] ensuring it remains a safe, attractive and welcoming place for all visitors,” it added.

By Alexander Brock | Local Democracy Reporting Service