Labour AM Jeff Cuthbert has expressed surprise over Caerphilly County Borough Council’s plan to drop pay and display charges for the two week run up to Christmas.
The council announced the plan last week as an initiative to help local traders.
Mr Cuthbert has questioned whether the £45,000 cost of implementing the scheme is worth the benefit.
He 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 at a time when the council is considering job losses and other cut-backs.”
The council estimates that the free parking scheme would lose it £30,450 in parking revenue, as well as £1,200 of legal costs and a further £13,500 in implementation costs.
Announcing the scheme last week, Cllr Ron Davies said: “Hopefully this incentive will lead to more people shopping within the county borough, supporting local firms and enjoying the many attractions our town centres have to offer.”
The free parking at pay and display car parks will begin on on Tuesday December 14 and end on Thursday December 28.