Councillors come out against Shrewsbury parking charges hike

Liberal Democrat councillors in Shrewsbury have raised their opposition to Shropshire Council plans to hike car parking charges throughout the town.

Parking at Frankwell would rise from 80p to £1.20 per hour and Abbey Foregate from 60p to £1. On-street parking at locations like Princess Street would increase from £2.80 to £3.60 per hour. Charges would be in place till 8pm rather than 6pm, and start taking place on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

The town's Lib Dems say they support measures to get traffic out of town but are frustrated by the charges being put in so quickly and without proper alternatives in place for many residents and businesses.

Councillor Alex Wagner said:

"Reducing traffic in the town centre is really important, but this isn't the way to do it. Several town centre businesses I have spoken with are really worried by the charges being put up by so much with so little consultation. The only reason these increases are so drastic is due to the terrible financial state that Shropshire Council has ended up in. 

Before putting charges up, we need to see progress on alternatives whether that's a free park and ride service, buses on Sundays, or real improvements to walking and cycling routes."