Wokingham Borough Council cannot afford to lose an estimated £30,000 in revenue by offering free parking at its town centre car parks on Saturdays in the weeks before Christmas.
The decision was made on Tuesday by Cllr Paul Fishwick, Executive Member for Active Travel, Transport & Highways and Cllr Clive Jones, Executive Member for Business and Economic Development.
Previous years saw the council move to entice shoppers into the town by offering free parking, but the current state of its finances means it cannot afford a similar initiative this year.
Speaking exclusively to Wokingham Today , Cllr Jones said: “Some traders are going to be disappointed, but a lot of them do realise that the council is in an extremely difficult position.”
He added that Wokingham gets significantly less funding from central government than other local authorities.
“If we had that funding we could be much more supportive traders, and we could do an awful lot more.”
Cllr Fishwick added he would welcome contact from any companies that may wish to support or sponsor free parking in Wokingham.
As part of the same meeting, Wokingham Borough Council has confirmed it will introduce free car parking for two major events in the Borough.
There will be no cost to park for the Wokingham Winter Carnival on November 26 and the Woodley Christmas Extravaganza on December 3.
Cllr Paul Fishwick, Executive Member for Active Travel, Transport & Highways and Cllr Clive Jones, Executive Member for Business and Economic Development, agreed that only these two specific events will be supported this year, having gained funding from the economic development grant.
Notes for the meeting estimated a loss of revenue of £12,000 for both events,
The report noted: “While the event could still operate without suspending parking fees, free off- street parking on these specific Sundays would provide a boost to the local events at a vital time of the year for businesses and traders.”
Due to the costs, estimated at up to £25,000, to reconfigure the parking machines for the two events, the council will use signage to indicate no charges are payable – leaving the machines operational.
No refunds will be made to anyone who mistakenly uses the machines.
