No joy for 2,500 who signed petition against car park price rises

A 2,500-strong petition has failed to persuade a county borough council to reverse increases to car park charges.

The higher rates were introduced in November after forming part of Caerphilly County Borough Council’s budget plans for this year.

A petition opposing the price rises and the removal of some tariffs was presented to the council that same month – but the council said it will not be changing its mind.

Blackwood councillor Kevin Etheridge, who handed in the residents’ petition, called the outcome “most disappointing for traders in our high streets”.

The council did not offer a comment on the decision, but has previously said the move would “simplify” parking charges and improve footfall.

Explaining the decision to Cllr Etheridge, the council noted the financial pressures it was facing and said the income from parking tickets helped maintain its car parks.

While the councillor said lower prices and shorter tariffs would attract people to the borough’s town centres, the local authority argued it wanted to encourage longer stays.

Visitors now pay an extra 10p for a two-hour stay, and no longer have the option to buy a one- or three-hour ticket.

Also in November, Cllr Etheridge unsuccessfully called for Christmas shoppers to be offered free parking across the borough.

But that was voted down, with officers and cabinet members concerned the idea had been proposed “on the hoof” without being costed.

“I find it very sad that we cannot help our communities and traders on the high street with the first one or two hours free,” the Blackwood representative said following the outcome of the petition.

The council contends the higher parking prices and the removal of the one- and three-hour tariffs were part of the consultation on this year’s budget, which a majority of councillors then voted to approve in February.

Following previous criticism of the price rises by another Blackwood representative – Cllr Nigel Dix – the local authority said the changes “aim to encourage longer visits, and could help boost footfall and income to support council services”.

“While the financial impact is hard to predict, any extra income will help cover car park running costs and support their long-term viability,” a council spokesperson said at the time.

The council has since said it will monitor the impact of the new charges and tariff options over the next year.