Labour AM Jeff Cuthbert has expressed surprise over Caerphilly County Borough Council’s plan to introduce a two hour free parking scheme for the two week run up to Christmas, which will allow residents to park in any of Caerphilly’s pay and display car parks.
According the CCBC this plan will help ‘make our town centre’s attractive shopping destinations at this critical time of year’ which will ‘benefit businesses and shoppers alike’ but earlier this year the Council introduced a charge for the use of the park and ride scheme on the Rhymney Valley line in a bid to generate £50,000.
The council estimates that the free parking would lead to a loss of £30,450 in parking revenue, as well as £1200 of legal costs and a further £13,500 in implementation costs. Therefore at a time when Caerphilly Council is introducing a range of cuts and charging people for park and ride, many are questioning the wisdom of introducing a two week scheme which will cost the local tax payer almost £50,000 to implement.
Only last week plans were announced which detailed the first phase of the council’s expenditure cuts. The plans look to cut £2.1 million from the Corporate Services Directorate.
Jeff Cuthbert AM said:
‘ I’m certainly not opposed to free parking as a rule but this proposal seems strange given the Council’s earlier decision to introduce charges for park and ride at stations. Is this simply a way for Caerphilly Council to appear to ‘gift’ something to local residents, when in fact this scheme was paid for by cutting vital local schemes such as the free park and ride?
‘ I don’t want to seem like a modern day Scrooge but this proposal to “waive” revenue that would normally be generated is difficult to understand.
