Council car parks in Coventry reject new £5 notes

[dutchman]

New £5 notes cannot be used to pay for tickets in several Coventry city centre car parks.



Pay-and-display machines in eight council-run car parks still haven’t been converted to accept the new, smaller, plastic note, which entered circulation more than two weeks ago.

The affected parking lots are the ‘pay on foot’ car parks in Barracks Way, Cox Street, Grove Street, Manor House Drive, New Union Street, Salt Lane, West Orchards Shopping Centre and Whitefriars.

Signs will be put up to make people aware of the issue until the machines are converted.

Coventry City Council said it would cost a total of £4,000 to convert the machines, although there was no timescale as to when that would happen.

A council house spokesman said: “Our pay-on-foot car parks take notes but none of those currently take the new £5.

“Signage will go up on those car parks stating that.

“We are looking into upgrading our machines, but no date for this has been confirmed.”

It is understood the new machines at Coombe Abbey Country Park, which is also run by the city council, do not accept the new notes either.

The new £5 note came in to circulation on September 13 and cost £70million to develop and 7p each to print.

Some people are now hoping to make a packet on the new plastic fivers - listing them on auction sites for more than £1,000 .

That’s because collectors are prepared to pay big money for notes with the lowest serial numbers.

The first five pound note to be printed by the Bank of England, which has a serial number of AA01 000001, was given to the Queen, but there are 999,999 other new fivers with the AA01 prefix.

The old paper £5 notes will now gradually be withdrawn from circulation until they cease to become legal tender next May.

After that you can exchange your old notes for plastic ones, courtesy of the Bank of England.

There are now plans to introduce plastic £10 and £20 notes.

Novelist Jane Austen will be the face of the new plastic £10 note from 2017, while artist JMW Turner will appear on the new plastic £20 note - set to appear by 2020.

There is no decision however, on whether there will be a new £50 note.

[rebbonk]

How long have they had to prepare for this?

[Melisandre]

CCC prepare don't be silly Rebbbonk that would not fill their coffers from fines .