'Parking charge rise will hit my business'

A cafe owner has said she is worried for her business after new parking charges in Wolverhampton will see some fees double.

City of Wolverhampton Council has increased charges from 4 November, with some locations increasing from £4.50 a day to £9.

The Labour-run authority said it must save £32.6m over the next three years.

Caitlin Stackhouse owns Tunwells English Kitchen in the city and said the decision was "absurd".

Ms Stackhouse opened the family business in 2020 when she was 18.

She said: "It will be detrimental to the customer flow in town.

"We haven't recovered from the pedestrianisation on Victoria Street and this is just another deterrent.

"In the last couple of years around six businesses have gone and it's wondering if you will be next. We are just trying to keep going and taking things day by day."

It comes after Dudley Council also increased its charges last month.

Dan Kibble, a public health student at the University of Wolverhampton, often uses Broad Street park which now costs £9 a day.

He said: "It’s already tough trying to get in and out of the city.

"I can understand charges going up, but doubling them is excessive. People are already struggling."

Steve Russell said he used the car park to go to the bank once a week.

He said: "People aren’t going to pay it. It's ridiculous. I can't see how it will save them money as people won't park here."

Councillor Simon Bennett, leader of the Conservative group on the city council, accused the Labour-run authority of "targeting drivers".

He said: "The high street is already struggling and the council has got to find ways of supporting people back into the city centre.

"This is an attack on businesses who are struggling at the moment."

A City of Wolverhampton Council spokesperson said the new charges would bring the authority’s car parks in line with "the vast majority of privately owned car parks".

"The difficult decision has been taken to increase city centre car parking charges in Wolverhampton for the first time in more than five years following a review of prices," it said.

"The prices have been zoned so they remain cheaper outside of the city centre and other incentives will be considered to encourage visitors in too.

"Like other councils, we are facing significant financial challenges, needing to save £32.6m over the next three years.

"The new charges, which are comparable with neighbouring local authorities, are expected to generate an additional £1m a year towards the budget challenges."

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