Free parking at popular park set to be scrapped

Free parking could be scrapped at War Memorial Park

Free parking at a popular Coventry park could be scrapped as part of the city council’s planned budget cuts.

A proposal to remove the three-hour free parking at War Memorial Park will be discussed by the council this week.

Under the proposal, drivers would be charged between £1 to park for up to an hour and £5 for a full day.

The authority said this would save £150,000 a year, as it seeks to make wider savings of £11m.

The planned new fees for the car park are:

• Up to one hour: £1

• One to two hours: £3

• Two to four hours: £3

• Day Ticket: £5

• Minibus tariff: £13

• Coach tariff: £30

• Motorcycles: No charge

Planned fees for season tickets are:

• Car 12 Month Season Ticket: £60

• Car 12 Month Season Ticket (GoCV plus and Blue Badge): £36

• Minibus 12 Month Season Ticket: £130

• Minibus 12 Month Season Ticket (Blue Badge): £65

Ten-minute drop-offs would be allowed under the new rules.

The current proposal will go before Coventry City Council’s cabinet on Tuesday.

If approved, it would then be discussed by the full council, which would have the final say on whether the new charges go ahead.

The proposal had first been put to the public four years ago but was met with backlash from people who said they would refuse to pay.

They said it would be better to crack down on “improper” use of the free parking by having it available for three hours.

The council decided to keep free parking at the park for three hours, saving £120,000 per year.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.