MOTORISTS may not be able to pay with cash in Somerset Council car parks from the New Year, but they will be able to use an app of their choice on their smart phone.

The near-bankrupt council is hiking charges by 10 per cent from late January and has refused to say if new car park ticket machines will continue to accept coins.

It is also bringing in Sunday car parking charges, but has postponed their introduction until after next May’s local council elections.

Now, it has joined the National Parking Platform (NPP) which was launched last year by the Department for Transport (DfT) but has since become independent and connects local authorities and service providers through a single open platform.

It means an end to motorists needing different payment apps in different car parks across the county.

The government hopes allowing drivers to use the app of their choice will encourage competition among parking companies and thereby cut costs for motorists, as well as saving them time.

The council formally joined NPP in the summer and had a soft launch toward the end of last month, meaning motorists can use the app of their choice, including APCOA Connect, AppyParking, Caura, JustPark, PayByPhone, and RingGo in any car park which includes NPP signage.

Somerset executive Cllr Richard Wilkins said: “This is a great development.

“This gives people using parking apps more choice and makes paying for parking across the county much more convenient by saving you time and hassle.”

NPP chief executive David Sinclair said: “It is fantastic to see Somerset Council joining the National Parking Platform.

“Its commitment to delivering a simpler, more flexible parking experience for residents and visitors reflects exactly what the NPP is designed to achieve.

“As momentum continues to build across the country, every new authority helps create a more seamless national parking experience.”