There will be no free Christmas parking in council car parks across Caerphilly county borough this year, after the local authority turned down a councillor’s proposal on cost grounds.
It is the second year in a row that Blackwood councillor Kevin Etheridge has seen his call rejected.
Why the council said no
Cabinet member Cllr Amanda McConnell told the council that offering two hours of free parking this winter would leave it £75,000 out of pocket. She said scrapping parking charges altogether would cost more than £100,000.
She added that the council would also face “operational costs” on top of the lost income, including:
- Software changes to pay-and-display machines, which would add thousands of pounds
- Updating signs in car parks
- Promoting the scheme
- Dealing with enquiries from customers
Cllr McConnell said past free-parking schemes had revealed “considerable hidden costs”. Complaints went up while they ran and carried on “for many months” after they ended. Drivers said they had been unable to find a space, had been charged when they shouldn’t have been, or had not realised the scheme was over.
“These enquiries generate a disproportionate burden that diverts resources from core service delivery,” she said. “In addition, free parking initiatives often result in subsequent requests from residents, businesses and elected members seeking to make the arrangements permanent or to extend them further, creating ongoing expectations that are not financially sustainable.”
Concerns over spaces
The council also feared that people working in town centres would use the free parking, leaving fewer spaces for shoppers.
Cllr McConnell acknowledged that free parking is “often” seen positively by some retailers and customers. But she said those views had been weighed against the lost income and the effect on the service. That included the risk of shop workers and traders taking spaces meant for shoppers and visitors to town centres.
The case for free parking
Cllr Etheridge brought his proposal to the council meeting on Tuesday 10th November. He argued that holding off parking charges through December and into early January would “help traders in all towns and on high streets”.
After the meeting, he said the idea had been turned down “on financial grounds, and this will drive shoppers to Cwmbran and Newport”.
“I feel sorry for our high streets and traders,” he added.
Where shoppers go
Parking has been linked to shoppers’ choices before. A report in 2023 found that people were opting for Cwmbran because parking there was easier, while the car park at Newport Retail Park was full.
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