Cafe welcomes railway station parking u-turn

A railway station cafe has welcomed a decision to reverse planned parking charge increases following a campaign.

Folklore Coffee and Bagels launched a petition after finding out fees were going up and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras would be introduced at Sutton Coldfield station.

Owner Alex Light said staff and customers learned of the changes at the same time, adding: "We were a little bit angry, we are here, we have a community around us - we weren't told and they weren't told."

A spokesperson for Transport for West Midlands confirmed the charges would not be increased following a review.

The decision to introduce ANPR and increase parking charges was originally approved by the West Midlands Combined Authority Strategic Operations and Customer Experience Board in 2023.

The charge would have increased from £1.30 to £3 a day.

Light said they learned of the increase about three weeks ago and launched the petition.

He said customers told them they would consider using other stations where parking remained free.

"People were going to have to cut something out and we were the thing that was going to be cut."

Light said the prospect of losing customers came at a difficult time for the hospitality industry.

"It really felt like a punch in the gut. Another thing we had to deal with and another thing customers were going to have to find money for as well."

As part of the campaign, the cafe contacted West Midlands mayor Richard Parker, who raised the concerns with Transport for West Midlands.

A spokesman added: "As a result, these charges will be reversed from 2 September, reducing the cost to £1.30.

"We are currently working with the parking contractor to extend free parking to season ticket holders and will confirm further details in the coming weeks."

Light said he was surprised by how quickly the decision was overturned.

"If something else does happen, we are up for the fight again."

Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.