MORE than 1,200 shoppers have already backed our campaign to “Keep City Parking Free.”

In just four days since we launched our appeal 1,219 people have signed our petition urging Newport city council to reverse its decision to scrap free parking in council car parks.

And as our campaign goes from strength to strength its clear shoppers and traders across the city feel that two hours free parking is a vital lifeline for struggling city centre businesses.

Newport city council initially announced it was to introduce free parking for up to five hours for shoppers in the city centre over the Christmas and January sales period.

Shoppers currently enjoy five hours of free parking in the council’s Park Square and Cambrian Centre multi story car parks in the run up to Christmas, while all other authorityrun car parks charge 10p for five hours.

But from February 1 the free parking scheme, first introduced in 2010 for the first two hours’ stay, will be axed because the council says it is no longer sustainable.

Instead motorists will have to pay £1 for the first three hours.

Councillor Ken Critchley, cabinet member for infrastructure, said: “Free parking costs the council almost £1 million a year, which is no longer sustainable at a time when central budgets are facing significant cuts. We face a funding gap next year of £8 million.”