Free parking to be discussed to help high streets

A council has agreed to look at free parking in a bid to "protect the health and vibrancy" of its high streets.

Babergh District Council decided to look into the idea following concerns over the impact of parking charges introduced in its Hadleigh, Lavenham and Sudbury car parks in January last year.

Deborah Saw, the authority's leader, said the charges had been "proportionate" and stressed they should have been introduced earlier in the face of financial challenges.

However, during an overview and scrutiny committee meeting on Monday, councillors highlighted concerns that the charges had been hurting businesses in the high street.

"We believe that this was the right decision to take, and it's been proven by all the metrics," Saw said.

The committee discussed a report on the impact of charges a year after being introduced, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

It showed the changes had not only netted the council just under £890,000 since April last year, but also turned drivers who abused the system into paying customers and made enforcement much simpler.

At least 90 customers are said to have abused the system each day by obtaining multiple free stays.

Paul Clover, member for Lavenham, questioned "whether this model is sustainable" during the meeting.

It came as the charges increased again on Monday by 20%, or between 20p and 50p an hour, to address a financial gap of more than £8m.

According to a separate report discussed in January, findings from the University of Suffolk showed no impact on footfall, dwell time, or money spent in the high street since the charges were implemented.

Nevertheless, the committee still instructed the council to look at a range of schemes relating to parking, including vouchers – paid for by businesses to offer customers free or discounted parking – and a free period.

Kathryn Grandon, member for Hadleigh, said the council should be looking at supporting the economy.

"I would like to see something that Babergh does to constructively support our high streets," she said, "and something to do with parking might help."

Saw said the authority was "perfectly willing" to discuss schemes, but stressed the council could not afford to take money out of its reserves.

A free parking plan over in west Suffolk was similarly approved in February despite being labelled "a crackpot idea" by a council leader.

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