Christmas shoppers gifted free parking in city centre this winter

Nicholas Thomas – Local Democracy Reporter

Christmas shoppers visiting one Welsh city centre this winter can access free parking in the council’s car parks.

Newport City Council has announced the policy will run on Saturdays, from November 16 to December 31, at its city-centre car parks.

Cabinet members unveiled the policy this week as part of a reallocation of council funds, following a budget underspend.

It is estimated the free parking scheme will cost the council £38,000.

Other schemes the cabinet confirmed this week includes an extra £600,000 for Newport’s secondary schools, in a one-off payment that will support the relief of “various pressures” including the cost of exam fees.

Pressure

Cllr Dimitri Batrouni, who leads Newport City Council, said the decision follows recent visits to all local schools to learn about the challenges headteachers face.

“We have listened to those concerns, and we’re pleased to have been able to allocate this extra support which we hope will help alleviate some of the pressures highlighted to me by our school leaders,” he said.

Cllr Deb Davies, the cabinet member for education, said the extra funding would “allow our schools to continue delivering quality education for our city’s young people”.

The council’s reallocation of unspent funds will also include £320,000 to improve customer service, £160,000 to replace a digital service for health and social care, £35,000 for city-centre “master-planning”, and £10,000 for new road signs.

The Christmas free parking policy will tie in with several festive events in Newport, including a winter wonderland, the annual lights switch-on party, stalls in the city centre and Friars Walk, and shows including a Dick Whittington pantomime at the Riverfront Theatre and a choir performance at Newport Market.

Councillor Emma Corten, Newport City Council’s cabinet member for culture and communications, said the local authority wanted festivities to “go with a bang”.

She added: “We want to make sure everyone can experience the magic of festive Newport, so some of these exciting events and activities will be free for people to enjoy.”

More information about the council’s Christmas programme of events will be announced in the coming weeks, Cllr Corten added.