At its next meeting Wrexham Council’s Executive Board will be asked to support a scheme to charge staff and members to park in the town centre and to seek comments from those affected, group leaders and trade unions.
The Council currently provides free parking to some of its staff and to elected members in town centre parks.
The move follows the Difficult Decisions budget process, which put forward proposals to begin charging those affected, in order to encourage more sustainable modes of travel to work – such as public transport – and to generate additional income for those who choose to pay for parking.
The proposed charge will be approximately £100 per year.
The report will be presented by Cllr David A Bithell, Lead Member for the Environment and Transport.
“Good level of public support”
Cllr Hugh Jones, Lead Member for Communities, Partnerships, Public Protection and Community Safety, said: “When we put the Difficult Decisions consultation out to the public back in the winter, one of the many options proposed as part of the Council’s efforts to reduce costs and generate income was to bring the current free parking offer for members and some staff to an end.
“This option attracted a good level of public support, and we feel it is right that this proposal be discussed with relevant parties.”
Cllr Mark Pritchard, Lead Member for Finance, Performance, Health and Safety and Governance, said: “We’re very pleased that we’ve been able to identify this potential method of income generation, with the full agreement of all parties involved in the administration of the council.
“Free parking for some staff and members has been in place for some time, but given the financial pressures we face, we felt it right and proper that this option be considered, and that dialogue is opened with those affected, along with group leaders and trade unions.”
“Lot of work on town centre car parking”
Cllr David A Bithell, Lead Member for Transport, said: “We’ve done a lot of work on town centre car parking over the past few years, including the installation of new machines with Chip and Pin and Contactless technology, and changes to our tariffs to ensure we remain competitive and that charges are balanced across all car parks.
“This move is part of a long process of ensuring our charges remain both competitive and fair, and I want to thank my fellow lead members for their work on this and allowing me to bring this forward.”
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