New research has found that annual parking permits in Manchester are on average £418 more expensive than London.
This means that the city ranks as the most expensive place to park in the country.
The cost of an annual parking permit in Manchester city centre comes in at £538 on average, compared to the capital’s average annual figure of £120, and the average of all cities analysed is which is £103.08.
Birmingham and Edinburgh come in at second and third on the list of most expensive average costs of a parking permit, each with permits costing over £200, and then at the opposite end of the list, Cardiff charges an average of £7.50 per year for permits making it the place with the average cheapest residential parking permits in the UK.
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Believe it or not, in fellow northern cities Leeds and Liverpool, there are no charges at all.
The average cost of a parking permit in UK cities
Rank
City
Average
1
Manchester
£538
2
Birmingham
£207
3
Edinburgh
£202.91
4
Glasgow
£169
5
Sheffield
£145.60
6
London
£120
7
Norwich
£38.20
8
Bristol
£38
9
Belfast
£30
10
Leicester & Newcastle
£25
11
Cardiff
£7.50
12
Leeds, Liverpool & Nottingham
£0.00
The most expensive residential parking permit can be found in Manchester’s Zone 3 district – which covers three of the main train station areas, Deansgate, Manchester Oxford Road, and Piccadilly – at an eye-watering £750 per year.
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Manchester also has the second most expensive permit in the UK.
In Zone 1 – which covers the central retail district – a parking permit costing £650 per year.
Speaking on the findings from the new study, Dan Hutson – Head of Motor Insurance at comparethemarket.com – said: “Paying up to £750 for a residential parking permit is a lot of money [and] while those who live in busy cities and towns might not have a choice but to buy a parking permit, it is worth remembering that it’s common for car insurers to ask where your vehicle is parked because it can increase the risk of theft or damage.
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“Parking on the street outside your home can, in some cases, increase your insurance premium if providers consider the area exposed to higher risk”.
Major headliner pulls out of Manchester Village Pride
Daisy Jackson
One of the Manchester Village Pride headliners has had to pull out of their scheduled appearance, just one day before the celebrations begin.
Nadine Coyle was supposed to be headlining the LGBTQ+ event on Friday 27 August.
But in a statement shared by Manchester Village Pride today, they announced that the former Girls Aloud star is ‘under the weather’.
Nadine will be pulling out of her headline slot to ‘rest and recuperate’, but added that she hopes to see Manchester for Pride again soon.
Thankfully, Manchester Village Pride has already found a suitably fabulous replacement for the main stage on Friday – B*Witched.
The iconic Irish girl group will be encouraging ticket-holders to dig out their double denim and dance to hits like C’est La Vie and Rollercoaster.
In the statement shared by Manchester Village Pride, Nadine’s team said: “Nadine is so sorry to have to step out of Manchester Village Pride this year. It was her very first Pride many years ago and she loves getting to spend time with you all.
“Nadine’s voice has been under the weather and she only wants to give absolute best to you all which sadly won’t be possible this weekend as she needs time to rest and recuperate.
“We hate to do it so near the day. Nadine was really hoping she was going to be well enough and hopes she can see you in Manchester for Pride again soon.
“Thank you for being so kind and understanding and we hope you have a wonderful weekend.”
Manchester Village Pride added: “We know how excited many of you were for a massive hit of 2000s pop nostalgia, and we promised you a party. We’ve been working around the clock, and we are beyond thrilled to announce that pop royalty B*WITCHED are stepping in at the eleventh hour!”
Chester Zoo announces return of its £10 tickets for limited time only with extended opening hours
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo has announced the return of its popular £10 tickets deal for a limited time only.
You may remember that earlier this summer, Chester Zoo invited people from across the North West to visit for just £10, and as the offer proved so popular, they’ve now brought it back again for a limited time.
For the past three years running now, Chester Zoo has officially been named the UK’s best zoo thanks to tens of thousands of positive TripAdvisor reviews, and now as the summer draws to a close, you’ll get to see exactly what makes it such a special place worth visiting for a cut price.
With the offer only applicable to afternoons this summer, Afternoon Tickets allow entry to Chester Zoo from 2pm onwards – with the last entry being one-hour before it closes.
Chester Zoo is offering £10 tickets to visitors this summer / Credit: Chester Zoo
Without this offer, standard admission tickets to Chester Zoo usually cost up to £38 for adults, £37 for students, and £28 for children, all including a 10% donation to the zoo’s conservation efforts, while babies and carers go free.
So it really is worth making the most of these limited-time £10 tickets while you still can – with the offer now running until 6 September.
The best bit about the offer returning? The zoo is currently operating its extended opening hours until 6pm too, so included for the bargain price of a £10 ticket, you’ll even get to see all the animals while the sun goes down.
Afternoon tickets are only available online and must be booked in advance to claim the £10 offer.
Tickets can only be purchased online before 4pm on the day of your visit, and standard admission tickets can be purchased from our ticket office at the main entrance.
Find out more and book your £10 tickets online here.
Emily Sergeant -
30th April 2021 
