‘On the hoof’ free Christmas parking plan fails to win support

Surprise proposals for free Christmas parking across Caerphilly County Borough have failed to win enough council support.

Cllr Kevin Etheridge, from Blackwood, suggested the idea for council car parks from mid-November until early January as a way to encourage shoppers to support the borough’s high streets.

After learning of a provisional £600,000 underspend in part of last year’s revenue budget, he argued the money should be diverted into paying for a free Christmas parking policy, similar to that confirmed this week in Newport.

But several councillors, including new leader Cllr Jamie Pritchard, warned against making spontaneous spending commitments, and said previous Covid-era free parking policies had thrown up unintended negative consequences.

A mixed reaction to the initial idea prompted Cllr Donna Cushing to suggest a compromise measure offering an initial two hours of free parking – something Cllr Etheridge agreed.

“I think we are in danger of making policy on the hoof,” said Cllr Pritchard, adding there wasn’t enough financial information available to councillors.

He said free parking during the pandemic had come with some “significant problems”, especially in Caerphilly town where drivers had complained about workers taking up spaces by parking there all day.

Cllr Sean Morgan, from Nelson, asked officers whether the new proposal would lead to better footfall in town centres or would risk spaces “being filled and blocked for the day”.

Senior officer Mark S Williams said that in the council’s experience, Covid-era free parking had led to spaces becoming “clogged up” to the detriment of shoppers.

Cllr Pritchard said he didn’t believe free Christmas parking was a “panacea” to wider pressures faced by high street retailers, and said committing to funding it “on the hoof should not be the way we proceed”.

The council’s finance director Leanne Sykes said she would “advise against making decisions without the financial implications” available, and said an expected budget overspend could be made “worse”.

Senior officer Marcus Lloyd added the proposed policy was “getting close to a six-figure sum”.

“We are still looking at a deficit unless things turn around – if you can make savings, you’ve got to do it,” added Cllr Gary Johnston.

The proposal was “comfortably defeated” in a vote.