Parking fee rethink at Sandwell Valley

Sandwell Council faced a backlash after plans to bring in charges at the beauty spot including Sandwell Park Farm were revealed.

It comes after 120 people signed a petition calling for a rethink over the charges.

While charges will still be introduced on January 4, a series of concessions have been made by the council.

People who walk their dogs or jog in the mornings or evenings will not have to pay parking charges.

Regular visitors can also get an annual pass for £40.

But charges are proposed to start from 40p for up to an hour to £2 for more than four hours.

Council bosses say the proposed charges have had to brought in as it balances budgets in the wake of cuts in grants from central government.

They say cash needs to be generated to help create new attractions including a new restaurant.

Other schemes being considered are a water sports centre, an indoor children's play area and an outdoor playground, as well as a floodlit all-weather football pitch.

Sandwell Councillor Maria Crompton, who is in charge of highways and environmental issues, said the introduction of charges had been a difficult decision.

"The council is taking the decision to introduce parking charges most reluctantly but we do need to find the money to fund the general maintenance of the valley and to introduce the new attractions we have planned," she said.

"This is one of many difficult decisions the council is having to make as we face huge reductions in grants and we are desperate to keep the standards at the farms, visitor centres, café and the fields, pools and woodlands as high as ever.

"We have spent a lot of time working on the scale of charges and have been very keen to keep them as low as possible.

"We have been particularly keen to give walkers who use the park daily in the mornings and evenings a chance to park without charges and regular visitors the option of an annual pass at a very low rate."

Councillor Crompton added: "Money raised from the charges would be solely for the benefit of the park and its visitors and we feel that, as at other parks and attractions in the region, some small contribution from parking is not unreasonable."

It comes after a previous proposal to introduce a flat rate fee of £1 at car parks for Sandwell Valley park and farm, Dartmouth Park, Forge Mill Farm and Swan Pool was scrapped in July 2014 after it proved unpopular with visitors.