Pricing
Parking Suspension Costs for a Removal Van: Central London Councils Compared
Parking suspension charges and notice periods for removal vans in ten Central and inner London councils, compared side by side. Checked October 2026.
Published 14 October 2026 · Updated 14 October 2026
A parking bay suspension reserves kerb space outside your door for the removal van. Every London council sets its own price and its own deadline, and the gap between them is wide: a one-day home move needing two spaces can cost £66.66 in Camden and £572 in Kensington and Chelsea if you apply late.
This post is the figures. We read the suspension pages of ten Central and inner London councils in October 2026 and set out what each one charges, how much notice it wants and what it does about a car left in the bay. Nothing has been converted into a common unit, because the councils do not use one.
If you are not yet sure whether you need a suspension at all, start with our general guide to parking suspensions for removal vans in London, then come back here for the numbers.
Key takeaways
- For one day, Westminster lists £51 or £55 per space, Kensington and Chelsea £82, Southwark £53.15 plus a £93 admin fee and Lambeth £57.55 plus £98.83 (checked October 2026).
- Camden, Hackney and Tower Hamlets waive the space charge on the first day of a home move, leaving an admin fee of £66.66, £100 or £200.
- Notice runs from seven days in Southwark to 17 days in Camden; Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea and Lambeth ask for 10 working days.
- Late applications cost extra: £20 in Westminster, £100 in Islington, £161 in Hackney and £408 in Kensington and Chelsea.
- Kensington and Chelsea, Islington, Camden and Hammersmith and Fulham all say a removal van loading continuously can manage without a suspension in some places.
- Fee pages change, so confirm the price on the council’s own page before you apply.
How much is a parking suspension in London?
There is no London price. For one day, the ten councils we checked charge anything from an admin fee alone (home moves in Camden, Hackney and Tower Hamlets) to £82 per space in Kensington and Chelsea or £90 per bay in Tower Hamlets for anything other than a resident’s house move, and each one counts differently. Most charge per space per day, Islington charges a flat first-day fee and the City of London charges by bay type.
The table reports each charge the way the council states it. Every figure was read on the council’s own website in October 2026.
| Council | Charge as the council states it | Admin or booking fee | Home-move rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westminster | Day 1: £51 per space in zones A, C and D; £55 in zones B, E, F and G. Days 2 to 5: £55 or £59 per space per day | None listed | No |
| Kensington and Chelsea | £82 per space per day for days 1 to 5 | None listed | No |
| Camden | £79.63 per space for 1 day; £87.61 per space per day for 2 to 5 days | £66.66 per suspension | No space charge on day 1 for up to 3 consecutive spaces |
| City of London | Pay and display bay: £485 first bay, £39 each additional bay, £51 daily service charge per bay | First-bay fee is the administration fee | No; tariff is written for works |
| Islington | Residents: £164.80 for day 1 for as many spaces as needed; £62.25 per space on day 2; £67.50 per space per day after | Included in day 1 | Businesses pay £320 for day 1 |
| Southwark | £53.15 a day for each car space | £93, non-refundable | No |
| Lambeth | £57.55 per space per day; half day £34.57 | £98.83 | No |
| Tower Hamlets | £90 per bay per day | £200 application fee, non-refundable | Residents: no bay charge for up to 2 bays for 1 day |
| Hackney | £44 per bay per day | £100 per suspension | No bay fee on day 1 for up to 3 bays |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | £48 per five-metre space for each of the first 5 chargeable days | None listed | No |
Lambeth says its fees are reviewed every year, and Kensington and Chelsea’s last rise took effect on 1 April 2026. Look at the council’s page again before you apply and treat the figures here as the price on the day we checked.
How much notice does each council need for a parking suspension?
From seven days in Southwark to 17 days in Camden. Camden asks for the most notice but is the most forgiving of late home movers; Kensington and Chelsea charges the most for lateness. Working days leave out weekends and bank holidays, so 10 working days is two full weeks.
| Council | Notice asked for | If you apply late | How to apply |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westminster | 10 working days | £20 fee if received within 10 calendar days of the start and granted | Online booking system |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 10 working days for resident bays; 2 working days for pay-by-phone bays | 5 working days, at the council’s discretion: £408 extra | PDF form by email |
| Camden | At least 17 days | Minimum 3 days; £349.81 short notice charge, not applied to home moves | Online, as resident or business |
| City of London | 6 working days to process | Not stated | Phone the Contact Centre |
| Islington | 14 days; 10 days for Pay By Phone bays | £100 extra; may be declined | Online |
| Southwark | 7 days | Emergency works only | Online |
| Lambeth | 10 or more working days | 6 to 9 working days: £68.77 extra. 2 to 5: £156.31 extra. Not guaranteed | Online suspension portal |
| Tower Hamlets | 7 working days, with payment received | Emergencies only, at 3 days and £200 extra | Online form |
| Hackney | 7 working days, counted from the next working day | £161 extra; you must explain why | Online only |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 8 days for up to six bays for up to three days | Not stated | Online; payment in by midday |
What would one day and two spaces cost in each borough?
Between £66.66 and £213.93 on the councils’ October 2026 figures, for a home move booked with full notice. This is a worked example, not a quote: it assumes two spaces for one chargeable day, and your move may need more. The City of London is left out because its published tariff is for works.
| Council | Sum | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Westminster, zones A, C and D | 2 × £51 | £102 |
| Westminster, zones B, E, F and G | 2 × £55 | £110 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 2 × £82 | £164 |
| Camden | £66.66 admin; space charge waived | £66.66 |
| Islington, resident | Flat day 1 charge | £164.80 |
| Southwark | £93 + 2 × £53.15 | £199.30 |
| Lambeth | £98.83 + 2 × £57.55 | £213.93 |
| Tower Hamlets, resident | £200 application fee; no bay charge | £200 |
| Hackney | £100 admin; bay fee waived | £100 |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 2 × £48 | £96 |
Now book the same job five working days ahead. Westminster adds £20, making £122 or £130. Hackney adds £161, making £261. Islington adds £100, making £264.80, if the officer agrees at all. Kensington and Chelsea adds £408, making £572. Camden stays at £66.66.
An office move in Camden gets no first-day waiver, so the same two spaces would cost £225.92 with full notice.
How much does a Westminster parking suspension cost?
Westminster City Council charges £51 per space for the first day in parking zones A, C and D, and £55 in zones B, E, F and G (council suspensions page, checked October 2026). Where bays are not marked out, a space is five metres. The page lists no separate booking fee and no cheaper rate for home moves.
You book through the council’s online suspensions system, which shows on a map whether a bay is free. Housing estate land cannot be booked online and needs the application form instead. A refund needs notice by 3.30pm the day before, less £20 per bay once the signs are up.
Two cautions. The page was last updated on 16 September 2025 and names no financial year, so confirm the price in the booking system. And after a domestic move the council asks you to put the “return to service” sticker across the suspension sign, so neighbours get the space back. Our Westminster removals page covers moving in the borough.
How much is a Kensington and Chelsea parking suspension?
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea charges £82 per space per day for the first five days, a rate in force from 1 April 2026 (council costs page, checked October 2026). A space is a marked bay or five metres. The short-notice fee of £408 is a one-off, is non-refundable and comes on top of the daily charge.
The council’s own FAQ says you do not have to suspend bays for a domestic or office removal. A van can stop in any parking bay or on a single yellow line if there is a space and it causes no obstruction, as long as loading is continuous. You cannot put out barriers or notices to hold the space. So the £82 buys certainty, not permission.
When we checked, the council’s online form was down and it asked for a PDF form by email. Our Kensington removals page covers the area.
What does a Camden parking suspension for removals cost?
Camden charges £79.63 per space for a one-day suspension, plus a £66.66 administration charge for each suspension (council suspensions page, checked October 2026). For a home move the council waives the space charge on the first day for up to three consecutive spaces, so a one-day home move pays the £66.66 only.
You book online and must give the registration numbers of the vehicles using the spaces. Camden’s terms say a space is normally five metres long.
The terms also tie car removal to the warning period. With 14 days or more of on-street warning, the removal truck is free if you ask for it. With less, the council charges a £200 relocation fee per vehicle before it sends one. That is a good reason to keep to the 17 days even though late home movers pay no short notice charge.
What do the City of London and Islington charge?
City of London
The City of London Corporation’s published tariff is written for street works, not house moves. Its page (updated 26 March 2026) also says a vehicle standing on a suspended bay needs a dispensation. A dispensation to stand on a single yellow line and load for longer than the permitted 40 minutes costs £36 a day, or £40 with fewer than three working days’ notice. The page does not mention removals, so phone the Contact Centre on 020 7332 1548 and ask which route fits your move. Our City of London removals page has more on the area.
Islington
Islington’s resident price is unusual: the £164.80 for day 1 covers as many spaces as you need, and each space is five metres. Days 2 and later leave out Sundays and bank holidays. Many moves here need no suspension at all. The council’s “Parking to move home” page says a liveried removal vehicle, one showing company branding and logo, can park free on a single yellow line or in a resident bay for as long as loading is continuous. An unmarked van gets until 11am, then 40 minutes at a time.
What do Southwark and Lambeth charge?
Southwark
Southwark charges a £93 non-refundable admin fee plus £53.15 a day for each car space (council page, checked October 2026; it states no financial year). The council puts a yellow warning notice on the nearest sign five days before the start. Changing dates or cancelling costs £90.50. Cancel more than five days ahead and the daily charges are refunded; after that nothing is. The same page prices a waiting restriction dispensation at £53.15 a day.
Lambeth
Lambeth’s 2026/27 price list gives £57.55 per space per day plus a £98.83 admin fee. A half day runs from midnight to midday. Bays can only be suspended inside Controlled Parking Zones. Add the van’s registration number in your online account: Lambeth says penalty charges issued before the number is entered will be upheld. Warning notices go up about three days before the start, and a change of date counts as a new application with a new fee.
What do Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Hammersmith and Fulham charge?
Tower Hamlets
Tower Hamlets charges a £200 non-refundable application fee and £90 per bay per day (parking charges 2026 to 2027 page, in force from 21 September 2026). Residents moving house get a “limited suspension service” with no bay charge for up to two bays for one day; the service charge still applies. A dispensation to load on a single yellow line needs three working days and is priced at a £100 administration charge for residents plus £90 per space per day.
Hackney
Hackney’s own example prices three bays for one day of a home move at £100 and four bays at £144, because the £44 bay fee is waived on day 1 for up to three bays. One line of the same page still quotes the admin fee as £96.50, so check the figure when you pay. The van must show the applicant’s logo or company name, or a printed sign with the logo in the windscreen. Using a bay without an approved suspension costs £500.
Hammersmith and Fulham
Hammersmith and Fulham only charges for days when parking controls normally apply in that street. The council says its charges rose on 6 November 2024 and shows no later price, so confirm before you apply. Weekends count as notice days, and the application and payment must be in by midday on the first day of the notice period. Amending or cancelling costs £40, and a refund needs two working days’ notice.
Can a removal van load without a suspension?
In several boroughs, yes: the council says a removal van that is loading continuously may not need a suspension. What a suspension adds is a reserved space by the door. This is what each council’s page says (checked October 2026):
- Kensington and Chelsea: any parking bay or single yellow line, if there is space and no obstruction. Removal vans in constant use need no dispensation.
- Islington: liveried removal vehicles can use a single yellow line or resident bay free while loading continuously, where no loading restriction applies.
- Camden: there is an exemption while a vehicle is continuously engaged in a property move.
- Hammersmith and Fulham: a removal vehicle may stop for longer than 40 minutes on a single or double yellow line next to the property, with continuous loading and no loading restriction in force. Packing inside the property does not count as loading.
- Hackney: domestic removals may load on single and double yellow lines for up to 40 minutes, continuously. Longer needs a suspension or a dispensation waiver.
- Westminster: a yellow line dispensation costs £51 for day 1 and needs at least three days’ notice. The page does not mention house moves.
- City of London, Tower Hamlets and Southwark: each lists a paid dispensation, described above.
- Lambeth: the suspension pages we read describe no alternative.
Councils do not handle red routes. Hackney and the City of London both point drivers to Transport for London for those. Our guide to loading on yellow lines and red routes in London gives the time limits and penalty amounts.
Who do you call if a car is parked in your suspended bay?
Call the council’s enforcement line straight away; Hackney says outright that asking for enforcement is the applicant’s job. Camden, Islington, Lambeth, Hackney and Tower Hamlets all say they cannot guarantee a clear bay. Numbers on the council pages (checked October 2026):
- Kensington and Chelsea: the council’s contractor on 01285 238 956.
- Camden: 020 7974 7134, quoting the suspension reference and road name. Removal trucks run from 8.15am to 6.45pm.
- Islington: the parking enforcement contractor on 020 7527 7624.
- Lambeth: report online, or phone 079 6862 3713 during working hours.
- Hackney: 020 8356 8290 on weekdays from 9am to 5pm; 020 8356 7555 on weekday evenings to 7.30pm, Saturdays 8am to 7pm and Sundays 8am to 3pm.
- Westminster: the “report a suspension issue” online form. The page gives no phone number.
- Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Hammersmith and Fulham and the City: no dedicated number on the pages we read, so ask for one when you book.
Keep the confirmation and reference to hand on moving day. Hackney and Islington both say they will not refund a correctly signed suspension that ends up blocked.
How many bays does a removal van need, and who applies?
None of the ten councils says how many spaces a removal van needs; you choose the number. Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Camden, Islington, Hackney and Hammersmith and Fulham all treat one space as five metres where bays are not marked individually. Ask your mover for the length of the vehicle, add room to work at the back, and book whole spaces to cover it.
Either the resident or the mover can usually apply, but it changes the paperwork and sometimes the price. Camden has separate resident and business bookings. Islington’s day 1 charge is £164.80 for residents and £320 for businesses. Tower Hamlets’ free bays are for residents moving house. Kensington and Chelsea says that if your removal company does not arrange the suspension, you must apply in time yourself.
Moving in Central London with Alpha Movers
Alpha Movers is based in Ilford and covers all of London, from 8am to 10pm, seven days a week. A council suspension charge is paid to the council and is separate from our rate card. Agree when you book who will apply for any suspension and who pays the council’s charge.
Parking affects the bill because our time is charged by the hour. A medium or Luton van with two helpers is £150 for the first two hours, then £75 an hour, billed in 30-minute steps. A reserved space by the door keeps the carry short.
Send both postcodes and photos of the parking signs, then book online or call 07448 849354. There is no deposit, and you can change the date free of charge up to 24 hours before the start time.
Frequently asked questions
It depends on the council, and each prices differently. In October 2026, for one day, Westminster listed £51 or £55 per space depending on the zone, Kensington and Chelsea £82 per space, Southwark £53.15 per space plus a £93 admin fee, and Lambeth £57.55 per space plus £98.83. Camden, Hackney and Tower Hamlets waive the space charge on the first day of a home move, leaving an admin fee of £66.66, £100 or £200. Confirm on the council’s page before applying.
Westminster City Council’s suspensions page, checked in October 2026, lists £51 per space for the first day in zones A, C and D and £55 in zones B, E, F and G. Days 2 to 5 cost £55 or £59 per space per day. A space is five metres where bays are not marked. The council asks for 10 working days’ notice and adds a £20 short-notice fee to applications received within 10 calendar days of the start. The page was last updated in September 2025.
Camden’s page, checked in October 2026, charges £79.63 per space for one day plus a £66.66 administration charge per suspension. If you are moving home, the space charge is waived on the first day for up to three consecutive spaces and the £349.81 short notice charge does not apply, so a one-day home move pays £66.66. Camden asks you to book at least 17 days ahead and will not take a booking less than three days before the start.
Not necessarily. The council’s suspension FAQ says you do not have to suspend bays for a domestic or office removal: the van can stop in any parking bay or on a single yellow line if there is space, it causes no obstruction and loading is continuous. You cannot block off a space yourself. If you want the space guaranteed, a suspension costs £82 per space per day from 1 April 2026 and resident bays need 10 working days’ notice.
From seven days to 17 days among the ten councils we checked in October 2026. Camden asks for at least 17 days and Islington 14 days. Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea and Lambeth ask for 10 working days. Hackney and Tower Hamlets ask for seven working days, Southwark seven days and Hammersmith and Fulham eight days for a small suspension. The City of London says it needs six working days to process one. Count working days carefully around bank holidays.
Most councils charge more and some may refuse. On the pages we checked in October 2026, Westminster adds £20, Islington £100, Hackney £161 and Kensington and Chelsea £408. Lambeth adds £68.77 for 6 to 9 working days’ notice and £156.31 for 2 to 5. Camden’s short notice charge is £349.81, but it is not applied to home moves. If you are too late altogether, ask the council whether continuous loading is allowed without a suspension on your street.
Report it to the council and leave the car alone. Kensington and Chelsea gives its contractor’s number as 01285 238 956, Camden 020 7974 7134, Islington 020 7527 7624 and Hackney 020 8356 8290 on weekdays. Lambeth takes reports online or on 079 6862 3713 during working hours. An officer can issue a penalty charge and may have the vehicle moved, but several councils say they cannot guarantee removal. Have your suspension reference ready when you call.
The council pages we read do not say; the applicant decides how many spaces to book. Six of the ten councils define one space as five metres where bays are not individually marked, so work from the length of the vehicle. Ask your removal company how long the van is and how much room the crew needs behind it, then book enough whole spaces to cover that length. Booking too few can be costly: Hackney charges £500 for using more spaces than you paid for.
Either can in most boroughs, so agree it when you book. It can affect the price: Islington charges residents £164.80 for day 1 and businesses £320, and Tower Hamlets’ free bays are for residents moving house. Camden has separate resident and business bookings and asks for the registration numbers of the vehicles using the space. Kensington and Chelsea says that if your removal company does not arrange the suspension, you need to apply to the council in time yourself.
