'Businesses are reporting a massive drop in trade': Councillor tables motion to bring back free parking in Dudley

Councillor Matt Cook has tabled a motion to Monday's council meeting, which would see car parks across the borough once more offer an hour's free parking. 

Councillor Cook, ward member for Brierley Hill and Wordsley South, further proposed that the rate for the following 90 minutes should be reduced to £1.

Councillor Cook, one of six former Labour councillors who formed the breakaway Black Country Party, said town centre businesses had suffered severely from the scrapping of an hour's free parking on council-run car parks in October last year.

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One high profile casualty was the Cronin's Books & Bits store in the Churchill Centre, which closed last month, blaming parking charges and the redevelopment of the town's bus station for its demise.

Councillor Cook said: "Businesses across the borough are reporting a massive drop in trade and shoppers are stating the parking charges are too high.

"If someone wants to pop to the shop to get a bottle of milk, they are now lumped with a £1.60 parking charge. 

"The majority of shops on our high streets are independent shops owned by local people. They provide a good service and do an honest day’s work, but this Conservative council and the Labour government are determined to price them out of business."

Councillor Cook said other boroughs in the Black Country were charging just 60p an hour in some car parks.

"We must bring back the free parking period to help support our local businesses.

"It has become obvious to me that it was a mistake by the Conservatives to remove free parking from Dudley Council car parks."

At the moment the ruling Conservative group holds 35 of the council's 72 seats, meaning that it would be theoretically possible for the motion to be passed if all the opposition councillors voted in favour.

However Councillor Ryan Priest, leader of the five-strong Liberal Democrat group which effectively holds the balance of power, doubted whether the motion would come to the vote, given the number of motions waiting to be debated. 

It is one of six motions which have been tabled for Monday's meeting, which starts at 6.10pm and is normally required to finish by 10pm.

Councillor Priest said he supported the principle of free parking in the borough, but had instead chosen to pursue it through the communities and growth committee, of which he was chairman.

"This will mean the issues will be raised sooner and my hope is we can offer recommendations to the council or cabinet," he said.

"Our high street businesses are suffering at the hands of a Labour government raising National Insurance contributions and a Conservative council who refuse to engage with them," he said.

"I'm pleased that my first act as the Liberal Democrat committee chair is to force Dudley Council to consider the impact of its parking charges policy."