Drivers could be hit with increased car parking charges as a local authority looks to bring in more money.

Gravesham council is considering raising its tariffs by around £1 per hour in its short and long-stay parking lots – but a decision is yet to be made.

In a report, set to be discussed by cabinet members next week, council officers state if the proposed changes are agreed it is likely to bring in an additional £335,000 per year.

The local authority has been facing financial challenges as support from the central government diminishes, meaning it is heavily reliant on the income it can make locally such as from council tax and fees and charges, the report says.

It adds the council’s expenditure plans are more than its anticipated income so to balance the budget it needs to accelerate proposals set out in its Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS).

The MTFS sets out plans to address budget pressures and although plans have started, the report says they need to be “brought forward at a faster pace” to restore financial stability.

Fees and charges make up around 24% of this year’s budget and have been identified as a way to increase income, so officers have proposed increasing parking fees.

For both short and long-stay car parks, motorists could pay an extra 70p for one hour, £1 for two hours, £1.20 for three and four hours and another £1 to stay all day.

The two-hour free parking on Saturdays, free parking on Sundays and free overnight parking from 6pm to 8am will remain.

The parking fees were last increased in February 2019 and if the plans go ahead, the changes will come into effect next year from February 1, 2024.

Officers have recommended cabinet approve the scheme and allow the parking and environmental enforcement services manager to implement it.

The plans will be discussed on Monday, November 6.

Elsewhere in the county, parking charges in Whitstable are set to rise by up to £2.10 an hour as Canterbury City Council looks to “cash in” on the popularity of the seaside town.

Motorists using the coastal hotspot’s busiest car parks currently pay an hourly rate as low as £1.60 - but this will soar to £3.70 under the controversial proposals.

Gravesham council recently installed ANPR parking systems at Rathmore Road and Parrock Street, meaning drivers pay at the end of their stay rather than on arrival.

The same system is set to be introduced in Ordnance Road and Milton Place at a later date.