Agenda item

The Cabinet considered a report which contained information in relation to the cost and resource implications of varying the current arrangements of free parking days along with available options to continue the free parking initiative.

It was reported that the Council’s free parking policy aimed to increase footfall in towns by providing free parking in its pay & display car parks on up to five separate days each year to support events or campaigns in each town.  Currently, applications for the free parking days were submitted on-line and must have the support of the appropriate Town Council and Town Centre Management Group. Following internal consultation, the applications were put forward for Cabinet Member approval.

Cabinet noted that based on independent reports commissioned as part of the Council’s Ten Town initiative, representatives of rural towns had sought to increase the number of free parking days over and above the current 5 free-parking days per annum that the Council had in place.

Following consideration of the report and all the options available, it was proposed that the options 5 and 6 of the report be endorsed, this was duly seconded.

As provided for by Protocol the Leader invited Councillor Rob James to put his prepared question in respect of this item.

Question by Councillor Rob James:

“I am sure that the Cabinet would agree with me that it has been a difficult period for local businesses, and I think that free parking has been argued for a long period to be a possible mechanism for boosting local business as support.  As you can see from the report there is also a very large variation where Carmarthen Town in particular generated 70% of all parking charges for the entire County.  Would the Cabinet be willing to work with us to see if we can develop a proposal for a 1-hour free carparking in selected car parks across the County to ensure that we can support the local businesses as you roll out this pilot.  I think a 1- hour free would be a very simplistic policy and would be very much understood by the public, it wouldn’t be this discrepancy about different days and different times, and I think it would actually increase footfall into the towns.”

Whilst accepting the question on this occasion, the Leader asked that questions be put as submitted in future in accordance with the requirements of the Protocol for Non-Executive Members’ Attendance at Formal Cabinet Meetings.

Response by the Cabinet Member for Transport, Waste and Infrastructure Services:

“The Council has continued to support local businesses and town centres over several years, both before, during and beyond the pandemic.  In consultation with every town centre the Council has provided five free car parking days to support events, the Council has provided further support with extended periods of free parking throughout weekdays in every town.  Free parking is provided in:

• Ammanford – Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 10:00am to 2:00pm
• Carmarthen – Tuesday and Thursday, 3:30pm to 6:00pm
• Llanelli – Monday and Tuesday, 10:00am to 4:00pm
• Llandeilo, Llandovery, Newcastle Emlyn, St Clears – Monday to Wednesday, 10:00am to 2:00pm

On parking charges more generally, this Council’s parking charges compare favourably with parking charges in neighbouring Councils:

• Carmarthenshire charges a 4 hour range from £2.40 to a maximum of £3.60
• Swansea for example charge for 4 hours £4.50, if you park in a municipal carpark but £7 for an NCP.
• Neath Port Talbot charge for 3-3 hours at £3.30 increasing to £3.80 afterwards
• Ceredigion £3 for 3 hours, increasing to £3.80

However, we recognise that there is a need to keep our parking charges and policy under review.

The Council’s Parking Strategy was last reviewed and approved in 2018, the previous strategy was updated as one of the outcomes of the Scrutiny Committee Task and Finish work in 2016.

I can assure you that as a Cabinet we are keen to work with stakeholders and partners across the County, including with Town Centre BID’s businesses, County Councillors, Town and Community Councils and others in order to ensure that our parking strategy is up to date, evidence based and is maximising the economic benefits to towns, whilst also contributing towards the Council’s wider objectives around helping to reduce traffic problems, congestion and air quality and investing in our public transport system.

We know that parking demand is influenced by the type and function of lad use and the quality of a public transport system.  We therefore need to keep in mind and review the availability of public transport as an alternative to cars, in line with the Welsh Government’s objectives of reducing car journeys across Wales.

There is a duty on us therefore, to ensure that our Parking Strategy is consistent with the Welsh Government Transport Strategy, and I am keen to ensure that any interventions introduced are proportionate and strike the difficult balance in supporting town centres and businesses, supporting more sustainable decarbonisation objectives.

Again, I am happy to work with the Labour group on this agenda and would be happy to meet with you to discuss your ideas with a possibility of incorporating them in the Corporate Strategy going forward as discussed earlier.”

It was clarified that the purpose of the report was in response to a request to the Cabinet particularly in the case of Llandovery and a number of options had been developed as part of the Ten Towns initiative.  In addition, it was acknowledged that the economic growth of the town of Llandovery may benefit from the free parking initiative and therefore the proposed option 5 in the recommendations of the report to undertake a pilot scheme for 12 months would gain important relevant information and assess the impact of an extended provision of 12 days in Llandovery.

Furthermore, in terms of free parking, the Cabinet recognised that there was an inconsistency across the County.  Therefore, it was clarified that the proposed option 6 in the recommendations of the report, would be to review the current free parking strategy.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED to;