Cut to Wolverhampton parking charges is welcomed - but business leader thinks they should be made free
A business leader has praised Wolverhampton Council's decision to slash parking charges - but warned they may need to be lifted altogether if the city is to recover.
Wolverhampton Council announced it would cut parking charges by up to 78 per cent from April, with a £3.50 all-day rate for two car parks in the city centre, and a flat-rate overnight charge of £2 for most council-run car parks.
The about turn comes 18 months after the council introduced a series of increases, which saw some fees increase from £4.50 a day to £9.
Henry Carver, president of Wolverhampton Business Forum, welcomed the price cut, but said in the longer term the council would need to offer free parking if the city centre was to recover.
The decision was also welcomed by Shaun Keasey, chairman of Wolverhampton Pub Watch, although he said the charges should never have increased in the first place.
Wolverhampton's change of heart comes just weeks after Dudley Council also announced it would be restoring two hours' free parking to its town-centre car parks, just 18 months after the fees were introduced.
Mr Carver, who spent £30,000 commissioning an independent report on how to revive Wolverhampton city centre, said free parking in Bilston and Wednesfield had demonstrated how important a role it played in bringing people into town centres.
"I think parking has been a real problem in Wolverhampton," he said.
"You can charge for parking if you have a good offer, but in Wolverhampton we're charging for parking with a poor offer, and the offer is getting worse by the year, if you look at all the massive brands we have lost.
"If you look at Wednesfield and Bilston, where the parking is free, the car parks always seem to be full and there are plenty of shoppers.
"Cutting the parking charges is a step forward, but in the long term I think the council is going to have a comprehensive review, and consider whether it can continue charging people to park."
Mr Keasey, who was a vocal campaigner against the rise in parking charges, said he was pleased that the council had listened to those who had fought the charges.
Mr Keasey said takings at his Royal London bar in Wulfruna Street had fallen by 30-40 per cent since the charges were raised in November 2024.
He believes the price cut was influenced by pressure in the media.
"I think it's good news, but I'm not going to say 'well done', they should never have put them by so much in the first place," he said.
"I'm glad they have seen sense, it was doing incredible damage to the city centre. It probably affected their own income, as well as reducing the number of people coming into the clubs, bars and restaurants in the city."
Mr Keasey said takings at his Royal London bar in Wulfruna Street had fallen by 30-40 per cent since the new charges were introduced in November 2024.
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