'Crackpot' scheme means more free parking in towns

A £1.2m free parking plan in west Suffolk has been approved, despite being labelled "a crackpot idea" by a council leader.

Conservative councillor Joe Mason, who brought the proposals forward at West Suffolk Council's budget meeting on Thursday, said the two-year free parking pilot scheme would help local retailers.

The scheme will allow shoppers in Haverhill and Newmarket to park for free for an hour in some car parks while, in Bury St Edmunds, parking at the multi-storey will be free on Mondays between 08:00 and 10:00.

Earlier in the week, the Labour council's leader Cliff Waterman had called the plan "a crackpot idea", saying it would create unrealistic expectations for shoppers.

The debate took place at the council's cabinet meeting to discuss budget plans for the next financial year, after the opposition Conservative group brought an amendment proposing the scheme.

Mason said the biggest challenge facing market towns was out-of-town retail outlets driving footfall away from town centres.

"When footfall goes, shops don't struggle; they empty," he said.

The scheme will mean free parking for the first hour at All Saints, The Guineas and Rous Road in Newmarket as well as at the Arts Centre, Jubilee Walk and Lower Downs Slade in Haverhill.

As well as the early Monday parking at Bury St Edmunds' multi-storey, parking charges will also be frozen in Bury for two years - although this had already been included in the budget.

The pilot scheme will be paid for by using the council's reserves.

Waterman called the pilot "a £1.2m gamble" which he feared would cause budget problems "down the line".

Beccy Hopfensperger, the Conservative Group's leader, said: "If we truly believe our market towns are the heartbeats of our community, then we must be prepared to take practical steps to keep these hearts strong."

The amendment was narrowly approved, 28 votes to 27, so the amendment will now be formally included in the council's official budget plans.

Mason said he hoped the free parking measures could be implemented within the next two months.

Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.