New Boost for Shoppers and Businesses as all Council Parking Charges Frozen for 2015

Bedford Borough Council is freezing all of its parking charges for next year, meaning 2015 will be the fifth straight year of Mayor Dave Hodgson's town centre car park charge freeze.

The freeze approved by Mayor Dave's Cabinet applies to all Council car parks and all on-street parking. The ongoing fall in the real cost of parking is in stark contrast to the situation in towns elsewhere nearby and across the country, with charges rising with inflation or more in some cases, as massive government cuts to local authority funding continue. Here in Bedford, Mayor Dave's drive to support a thriving town centre is instead delivering this further boost for local shoppers and traders, in defiance of inflation and parking running costs.

Parking charges more than doubled in Bedford between 2002 and 2008, but Mayor Dave has halted this trend in support of the town centre despite unprecedented cuts to the Council's funding, while also introducing major new initiatives such as the Mayor's Free Parking Deal (first two hours free in Council town centre car parks on Saturdays).

Commenting, Mayor Dave Hodgson said: "Of course charges continue to rise elsewhere, but we are committed to doing everything we can to support a thriving Bedford town centre. That's why we have found further savings away from the front line to keep parking charges down, despite unprecedented cuts to council funding. We've made this radical break from wider trends in recent years to support local shoppers and businesses through challenging times, and we will continue to work to help people to use and enjoy their town centre."

The news comes at the end of another year of investment and improvement in Bedford's car parks, with the introduction of free parking on Sundays in multi-storeys (making all town centre parking free in council car parks on Sundays), 24-hour opening of Lurke Street and River Street car parks to support the night-time economy, the completion of the transformation of Allhallows (bus station) multi-storey car park and new change-giving payment machines, complete with card payment, in all Council car parks.

All of these improvements and more follow on from a range of developments in support of shoppers and businesses including the introduction of the ongoing Mayor's Free Parking Deal on Saturdays and the opening of brand new public surface car parks at Prebend Street and Greyfriars (opposite bus station).

The further boost for shoppers and businesses also arrives at an exciting time for Bedford Town centre, with the construction of the brand new Bedford Bus Station at an advanced stage, work to start soon on riverside regeneration including the return of town centre cinema to Bedford, and the final section of the congestion-cutting western bypass underway.