A protest is set to take place outside Kingston's Guildhall on Tuesday, 8 July at 6.30pm, as residents and small business owners will show their opposition to a steep increase in parking charges across the borough.

The rally, led by Gia Borg-Darcy, a long-time Chessington resident and private tutor, follows on from her petition that gained almost 1,200 signatures.

This makes it the second most-signed petition in Kingston Council's records since 2010.

The petition, which calls on Kingston Council to rethink what many are calling an "unfair" rise in charges, will now be debated by the Full Council at 7.30pm the same evening.

"It is not just for me. It is for us as a community," Borg-Darcy said.

Borg-Darcy has lived in the borough for 14 years and says that the parking hike, of up to 300% in some areas, has disproportionately impacted carers, parents of neurodivergent children, disabled people without blue badges, and small business owners like herself.

"I am a tutor, so I am a small sole trader which is a small business in itself," she said.

"I do it because I cannot really be doing a full-time job because my children are neurodivergent. I have got to work around them, rather than the other way round."

Borg-Darcy first noticed the price changes after reading a short notice in a local paper, but the reality did not hit her until a family trip to a café on Tolworth Broadway.

"Normally to park there it is about £1.70. I had to pay £3.10 for an hour.

"I spoke to the guy that owns the café. He was not aware, and he was not the only one. I asked other businesses around. They weren't aware of the cost, it just happened," she said.

She describes the change as sudden and poorly communicated, claiming there was little to no consultation with the public.

"They kept it quiet. And there are ways to do it. They have their social media, so they could have notified people in different ways," she said.

Borg-Darcy took her concerns to local councillors earlier this year but says she never received a written response.

"I went directly to my councillors. None of them answered and until now, I have still not received a written reply," she said.

The petition's success has garnered local support from residents and small businesses, with Borg-Darcy saying that it is affecting cafés and pubs due to people not wanting to park up for lunch anymore.

She is calling for either a reduction in charges or the reintroduction of one-hour free parking option, especially to help those with disabilities or caring responsibilities.

"If nothing changes, I will take this to breakfast TV," she said.

"I am half Maltese – we don't give up."

In a statement, Kingston Council said that the charges were approved as part of its February budget and that statutory notices were published in line with regulations.

"Whilst hourly rates have risen across the borough, we have benchmarked them against similar locations in neighbouring boroughs," the council said.

"The use of funds generated through on-street car parking charges are tightly controlled. The council can only put them towards the cost of operating the parking service and a limited number of other areas such as highway maintenance, environmental projects and concessionary fares."

The council added that 30-minute free parking remains available in many areas, and that the option to pay for 30-minute stays has been reinstated.

"The increase in charges will contribute to the rising costs of maintenance and administration but, even with the increases that we have implemented, we predict that the council will still contribute nearly £8m to these costs in 2025/26," the council said.

The protest welcomes all and will take place on Tuesday 8 July at 6.30pm outside the Guildhall.

Supporters will then walk into the council chamber together to present the petition before the Full Council debate at 7.30pm.

"I'm not there to penalise anyone," Borg-Darcy said.

"It is about us as a community showing the councillors what we need, and putting our views across that things should be done differently."