Council brings back free festive parking for two Staffordshire towns on three December dates - here's when

Shoppers will get an early festive bonus if they visit Stafford and Stone to buy Christmas gifts after the borough council’s leader announced the return of free parking on three days in December.

All Stafford Borough Council-run car parks will be free to use on the three Saturdays before Christmas.

The authority has previously waived parking charges at council-run car parks on December Saturday afternoons before Christmas. But the perk was pulled by the former Conservative administration to cut costs in early 2023.

The move was branded “Scrooge-like” at the time by Labour Councillor Aidan Godfrey, who went on to become the authority’s leader later that year. His administration did not restore the free Saturday parking offer in 2023 however, despite a bid in late November by a Conservative opposition group member, Mike Dodson, to bring it back.

Last December the parking perk returned for three Saturdays in the run-up to Christmas after money was found in the council’s reserves. A bid to offer free Sunday parking too, put forward by Councillor Marnie Phillips, failed to gain enough support from the chamber however.

Speaking at Tuesday’s full council meeting (November 11), Councillor Godfrey said: “I’m very pleased to announce that all of Stafford Borough Council’s car parks are to be free the three Saturdays before Christmas in Stone and Stafford. The money has been found for this and what we are suggesting is we will put this into the budget process for next year, so there will be no doubt over the free parking next year as well.

“I hope this gift to our town centres increases business and makes the season more enjoyable for traders and shoppers alike.”

This year’s free festive parking will include the Waterfront multi-storey and Riverside Undercroft car parks in Stafford town centre. Councillor Phillips called for these two sites to be included in the offer last year, but councillors were told by chief executive Tim Clegg that these two sites had not been included in the 2024 motion for technical reasons, due to part of the sites being used for contract parking.

Speaking after Tuesday’s meeting council deputy leader Rob Kenney, who has responsibility for the town centres, said it had been another challenging year for many retailers. He added: “We all have to support our local businesses, and I hope residents and visitors will take advantage of the free parking offer.”

There are almost 3,000 spaces run by the borough council in Stafford, and more than 250 in Stone, where motorists will be able to park for free on December 6, 13 and 20. For a full list of Stafford Borough Council-run car parks visit www.staffordbc.gov.uk/carparks.