Free parking likely to be restored next year, says Dudley Council leader

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Prior to October 2024, visitors to Dudley could park for two hours free of charge on all council-owned car parks. 

But as part of a package of cuts to stave off the threat of effective bankruptcy, the council introduced charges of £1.20 to £1.80 an hour.

Then in October this year they were reduced to 50p for the first hour after the council reported an improvement in its financial position. 

Councillor Harley said the council was now reviewing the charges.

"The financial position is now much stronger than it was, and I'm confident we will be able to give traders in the towns a nice new-year surprise," he said.

"We were staring right down the barrel of a Section 114 (an insolvency notice for local government), but we have managed to turn that around and the finances are now looking much healthier.

"It's early days, and the officers are still working on the budget, but I'm confident we will be able to do something."

Some traders in the town have complained at seeing falls in trade of up to 40 per cent. Cronin's Books and Bits shop in the Churchill Shopping Centre blamed parking charges and rebuilding work on the bus station for its decision to to close its shop.

An Express & Star investigation in October revealed that most of the car parks in Dudley town centre were near-empty on a Saturday afternoon. 

There were just nine cars on the 250-space Stafford Street car park, an occupancy rate of just 3.6 per cent. A dozen cars were spotted on the two car parks in Flood Street, which had a combined capacity of 226 spaces.

The Black Country Party has tabled a motion to the council calling for one hour's free parking to be reintroduced, but at the previous two council meetings time ran out before it could be debated.