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Scrapping free car parks could 'frighten away shoppers'

Bea Swallow & Dan Ayers
BBC News, West of England
BBC A blue and white car parking sign which says Free Car Park at the top. People can stay for two hours maximum. In the background the car park is completely full of cars and surrounded by trees.BBC
Proposed changes include introducing charges at car parks which are currently free

Business owners and residents say they fear plans to scrap free parking could mean the loss of footfall and income.

Somerset Council is proposing the move along with a county-wide overnight charge and new fees for parking on Sundays, as different rates currently apply across its car parks.

Sarah Rodborough of the Little Bakery in Langport said she is "worried" about the fate of her business, as free parking draws in customers.

Somerset Council said the aim of the proposals is to "bring consistency" to the county, and ensure the service remains "completely self-funded".

Four cars and a van parked on the side of a street in Langport. They are tucked into a parking bay outside a row of shops and an estate agent.
Charges could also be introduced for on-street parking in limited waiting bays

Ms Rodborough said "a lot of people" visit her town because of the free car parks.

"They go for a walk by the river and then they'll pop in and support a lot of our local shops on the high street," she told BBC Radio Somerset.

"It would be really sad to see all of us, who work so hard to make a community out of the little local businesses, be impacted by this."

Ms Rodborough added that many people in the local area are "unable to walk long distances", and driving into town for free makes their lives easier.

Sarah Rodborough wearing a dark brown t-shirt with a circular wheat logo which says LB in the middle. She has long brown hair which is pulled back and is wearing a green headband. She is standing in the Little Bakery, smiling at the camera. Behind her are metal sheets with piles of raw dough on them. On her right are metal shelves with cooked loaves of bread stacked up on baking paper.
Sarah Rodborough says "money is tight nowadays", and free parking is a big attraction for the town

Yeovil resident David White shares the same sentiment, and added that it is already "difficult and expensive to park as it is".

"If they use the same charges on the Sunday as they do on the rest of the week they're going to frighten even more people away," he said.

"It needs footfall in the town. It's quietly dying on its own feet, so I'm very surprised that they're prepared to do that."

The charges in Somerset's council-run car parks have not been reviewed since 2023.

Councillor Richard Wilkins, the council's lead member for transport and waste, said: "We have many car parks in Somerset and there are significant costs and challenges involved in running and maintaining them.

"It's really important we bring fairness and uniformity in charges across the county and in turn the extra income will help ensure the parking service is fully self-financed and can continue to be run, staffed and maintained properly."

If approved in principle by the authority's cabinet on 26 February, the proposals will then go out to public consultation.

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