£2 for all-day parking in East Devon

Drivers rejoice!

East Devon District Council's cut its parking charge to £2 for the day, whatever car park drivers use until the end of March.

The cut-price deal has been in place since the beginning of November, but the council has just issued a press announcement about it.

People who use a Ringo app to pay have to enter the location code ‘42973’ - again regardless of which car park they use. This can be done before the journey, and applies all day across the district, meaning people only have to pay £2 once.

The council says people "should not be concerned if they notice that their ticket may not have an expiry time of midnight printed on it" - or, in other words, if it looks like it expires during the course of the day.

That's despite some drivers being stung on Exmouth's off-road parking this summer, where the Ringo app automatically kicks-in the following day, until midday, leading to a charge of more than £12, unless users go back into the app and press 'stop.'

East Devon's signs don't make that clear. 

This time round, parking officers will check that the £2 has been paid, which will make the ticket valid for the rest of that day.

Councillor Paul Hayward, EDDC's deputy leader and portfolio holder for economy and assets, said:  “As in previous years, we want to support businesses in all of our town and village high streets as much as we can through the quieter winter months especially after the challenges of the last year.

"The feedback we received from last year’s parking offer showed that it was a great success and, as in 2020, you can also use the same £2 ticket in any other East Devon pay and display car park on that day so why not visit another local town in the district to discover something different on offer. There are hidden gems in every town and village that would love to welcome you inside."

He continued: "I’d like to personally thank each and every customer who took advantage of our previous parking offer – your custom was a huge boost to the local economy. Your local high street needs you more than ever at this time of uncertainty - and I hope that this parking offer will encourage you to visit and support your community businesses. There has never been a better time to shop local.”