Wakefield Council votes to axe two-hour free parking across the district
A cabinet member said the scheme was ‘unsustainable and irresponsible’
Senior councillors have approved plans to scrap two-hour free parking across the Wakefield district.
Wakefield Council’s cabinet member for highways said the “unsustainable and irresponsible” scheme had led to other services within the authority being “robbed” of £1.8m.
Two-hour free parking was reintroduced last year by the previous Labour administration in a bid to increase visitor footfall across the district.
Reform UK, who took control of the council in May, voted in favour of withdrawing the concession at a meeting on Tuesday, saying the move had “made little difference” to the high street.
Keith Anderson, portfolio holder for highways, transport and planning, said Labour introduced free parking shortly before Christmas last year in the run-up to May’s local elections, in which Reform took 58 of 63 seats.
He said: “When there was a threat of votes the council elected to give away two hours of free parking.
“That was an emotional decision on a political basis not on an economic basis.
“We were elected to serve the community to have wise heads with the funds that were placed in our care.”
Coun Anderson said parking charges in the district would continue to remain in the lowest 25% of local authorities across the north of England.
He said: “Most parking areas have substantially higher costs than us.
“What we are actually trying to do is look at what is the right way forward for the people Castleford, Normanton, Pontefract, Wakefield, all the outlying areas, that are sustainable.”
Coun Anderson said data showed that, since the reintroduction of free parking, there had been no increase in the number of vehicles parked for two hours.
He added: “What we have actually seen is £1.8m taken out of the budget for this council and had to fill that black hole using funds from other services and other opportunities that we could have done in the community.
“We robbed parts of the council in order to keep parking and the operation in place.”
Councillors also voted in favour of other recommendations including increasing charges at most car parks, launching a consultation on the introduction of a £1 evening parking rate and “monitoring arrangements” for parking on Sundays.
The proposed £1 evening rate would apply between 6pm and 8am.
Further recommendations include introducing a free 30-minute on-street parking period and removing a 15p fee to pay for parking digitally.
Council leader Karl Johnson said the authority needed to make £25m of savings during the current financial year and the £1.8m cost of free parking represented a “significant amount.”
He said: “We want to support business and residents. There’s a tough choice here. We either do it as an invisible tax or we are transparent and honest.”
Before the meeting, three of the district’s Labour MPs said thousands of residents had signed a petition opposing the plans.
Jade Botterill, MP for Ossett and Denby Dale, said: “Free parking has helped local businesses get customers, elderly residents get into town, and community groups grow.
“This is the opposite of what our town centres and high streets need.”
Wakefield and Rothwell MP Simon Lightwood said: “The response to this petition shows just how strongly local people feel about these proposals.
“Thousands of residents have already signed because they understand what is at stake for our city and town centres.
Yvette Cooper, MP for Pontefract, Castleford & Knottingley said: “Free parking for shoppers has been a lifeline for local businesses in the five towns and across the district.
“We need support for our town centres not a plan that hits them hard.”