£15,000 less for car park upkeep in Walsall cutbacks
Maintenance of car parks in Walsall will be slashed as part of cuts at the borough's cash-strapped council.
A total of £15,000 will be taken from the car park budget despite concerns it could present a negative image of the town, under latest budget plans.
Bosses will look to reduce the council's car park maintenance budget to £25,000, which would have to cover surfacing repairs, car park machine repairs, lighting repairs, cleaning, general damage and destruction.
Currently, the council, which is facing £25 million of savings, operates 59 car parks across the borough.
A report on the plans reads:"Reduced maintenance could result in a reduction in the cleanliness, appearance and safety of the car parks.
"This would present a negative image of the borough to our car park customers when compared with current arrangements."
Walsall Council leader Mike Bird said: "We believe we can accommodate this small reduction in finances for car park maintenance by being a little more prudent in how we spend our money."
"We only provide 1,300 parking spaces in the borough, the rest come from the private sector and as the demand on our car parks reduces, we believe we will be able to spend less on maintenance."
