FREE parking will come to an end in Somerset by the end of August – unless you work in health and social care.

Mendip District Council has become the latest local authority to reintroduce parking charges at its car parks, with changes coming into effect on Friday (August 7).

With Somerset West and Taunton Council expected to follow suit at the end of the month, Somerset residents (with a few notable exceptions) can wave goodbye to free parking for the foreseeable future.

Here’s a breakdown of where you can still park for free across Somerset:

Mendip

Mendip District Council suspended charges at its car parks across Frome, Glastonbury, Shepton Mallet, Street and Wells on March 26.

Charges at all of its car parks will be reintroduced on Friday (August 7) – though NHS and social care staff will still be exempt, along with critical care volunteers and other key health workers who display NHS trust permits.

In addition, the council is not raising the parking charges from the 2019 levels, and parking will remain free in the evenings.

Councillor Nick Cottle, portfolio holder for neighbourhood services, said: “Free parking was a generous commitment we made to support the initial recovery stages of the local economy.

“We have lost revenue, but are adamant it was the right thing to do.

“As lockdown measures ease, and the district returns to work, it’s time to reintroduce charging.

“However our NHS staff, key health workers and volunteers, who display official permits, will continue to enjoy free parking.”

Sedgemoor

Sedgemoor District Council operates 18 car parks in Bridgwater, Burnham-on-Sea and Cheddar.

The council officially reintroduced parking charges on June 15 – though all NHS staff and key workers can still park for free.

A spokeswoman said: “Car parking charges is a key source of funding for the services that councils provide, none more so than at this difficult time.

“All councils across the country are facing very challenging financial circumstances.

“Car parking charges are a very important source of income for Sedgemoor –  one that without we will have significantly less resources to do work such as supporting town centres.”

The council said it was not currently lobbying the government on this matter, stating that pushing for such funding “would probably be done via the Local Government Association (LGA) rather than individual councils.”

Somerset West and Taunton

Somerset West and Taunton Council – which operates car parks in Taunton, Wellington, Minehead and elsewhere – still operates free parking on its sites to all individuals, including key workers and NHS staff.

However, this will end on August 31 – the last bank holiday before Christmas.

The council reopened more floors of the Paul Street car park on Monday (August 3) to enable more people to park there and use the Shopmobility service.

Councillor Marcus Kravis, portfolio holder for economic development, said: “Reopening more levels of this popular car park will give shoppers greater choice and provide support to our businesses as they take steps towards recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We have been working collaboratively with our partners to ensure the safe

reopening of two more levels at the Paul Street car park and are preparing for

the reopening of further levels.

“We hope this will be welcome news particularly for our Blue Badge holders and those customers that rely on the Shopmobilty service.”

The council has said it is not currently lobbying the government for funding to extend free parking in the future.

South Somerset

South Somerset currently charges at all of its car parks – including those in Yeovil, Chard, Crewkerne and Ilminster.

However, exceptions do remain in place for “all critical key workers” and some key retail staff.

A spokesman said: “In line with government guidance on the importance of maintaining parking enforcement during the pandemic, parking charges remained in place in our car parks.

“Parking remains free for all critical key workers. There are also exceptions made for key retail workers.

“We continue to have regular review meetings to assess all elements of our Covid-19 response.”

On-street parking

While the district councils operate off-street car parks, on-street parking is the responsibility of Somerset County Council.

On-street parking patrols resumed on June 1 as a result of more businesses reopening and schools accepting more pupils back.

Councillor John Woodman, cabinet member for highways and transport, said at the time: “During the lockdown, most parking enforcement officers have been redeployed to other roles supporting the community, such as delivering PPE or managing queuing traffic at the reopened household waste recycling centres or testing centres.

“Their efforts are greatly appreciated, and I would like to thank them as they begin to resume their normal duties.”