FREE car parking will be extended for another six months in council-owned car parks across Caerphilly county borough.
The council’s cabinet has agreed to extend the free car parking to at least the end of September.
The council leader Cllr Philippa Marsden said a decision will be made then on whether to extend it beyond Christmas.
The council had originally suspended charges at pay and display car parks until March 31 in a move first introduced last summer to help businesses hit by coronavirus restrictions and support and encourage residents to “stay local” for shopping.
MORE NEWS:
- The areas of Newport & Gwent that could soon be underwater
- Chepstow man living with parosmia after catching coronavirus
- Plans unveiled for GCSE, AS and A Level exams in Wales
However, the leader of the council’s Independent group, Cllr Kevin Etheridge, called on the council to extend free parking until April 2022 to help businesses in the run-up to Christmas.
Cllr Etheridge also called on the council’s cabinet to consider abolishing car parking charges altogether following the announcement from Welsh Government yesterday that town centres in Wales would be getting a share of £24 million for regeneration.
Mr Etheridge was told that the £24 million would be for town centre improvements not for free car parking and would last for a given period, so it would not be appropriate to use the scheme to abolish charges altogether.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here