Mayor’s Free Parking Deal: First Two Hours Free on Saturdays

Mayor Announces Measure to Support Shoppers and Boost Town Centre Trade Further

Lib Dem Mayor Dave Hodgson has announced plans to make all Council town centre car parks free on Saturdays for the first two hours. Under the Mayor's Free Parking Deal, everyone using any of the Council surface and multi-storey car parks in the town centre will get their first two hours' parking absolutely free on Saturdays, for the first time ever. The radical move in support of local shoppers follows three successive years of car park charge freezes for shoppers, in stark contrast to the case in towns and cities elsewhere across the country.

Commenting, Mayor Dave Hodgson said: "We want to send the message out to everyone locally and further afield that Bedford is open for business. We have delivered real-terms cuts in shoppers' parking charges year after year and now we want to go even further in support of residents and local businesses. There are severe ongoing challenges for all town centres, but Bedford is bucking the wider trend with vacancy rates falling and footfall rising and we have an opportunity to deliver a real boost on top of the progress we have already seen. That's why we hope that free Saturday parking will help make the difference when people are deciding whether to come and enjoy Bedford town centre's mix of excellent independent shops, national chains and opportunities for eating, drinking and leisure. We have seen from the way that so many people of all ages have supported the range of events and activities in our town centre how much people care about their town. I hope this measure in support of shoppers helps us to maintain momentum in our ongoing efforts to make Bedford town centre a vibrant, enjoyable place to be."

Under Mayor Dave's plans, the free parking offer will be introduced before Christmas, and will coincide with the introduction of brand new payment machines in the multi-storey car parks. All Council-run town centre car parks will be free every Saturday for the first two hours, after which normal charges will apply. Mayor Dave has made supporting shoppers and the vitality of Bedford Town Centre through parking improvements a clear priority, with this major announcement coming amidst a wider programme of improvements including the building of two new public surface car parks at Prebend Street and the bus station area, the refurbishment of Allhallows Multi-Storey car park including brand new toilets and new technology and payment machines to make using the car parks as convenient and attractive as possible.

A recent report by Pricewaterhouse Coopers and The Local Data Company revealed that town centre stores are shutting at a rate of eighteen per day across Britain, with the UK's High Streets facing multiple challenges including difficult economic conditions and the trends towards out-of-town and internet shopping. While Bedford is facing those challenges too, it is bucking the wider trends with increased footfall and decreasing shop vacancy rates. Efforts to improve the town centre are ongoing, with measures including the repeated car park charge freezes; investment in new and improved parking facilities; the redeveloped Higgins Bedford; a brand new bus station; a £3 million regeneration of the High Street; the reintroduction of town centre cinema and new riverside restaurants; a series of events and much more all having taken place or ongoing.

Full details of further parking initiatives to support shoppers and town centre businesses, including additional late openings to boost the night-time economy will be reported on www.bedfordlibdems.org.uk and our twitter feed @BedfordLibDems .