Town's businesses criticise new parking charges

The charges are due to come in to effect on 3 November

Businesses have criticised a council's decision to increase car parking charges in a Shropshire town.

Ludlow's on-street parking will rise from £2.00 per hour to £2.80 per hour from 3 November.

"Most of my competitors, like in the Cotswolds, have an hour free in the town for the locals to do their shopping, and if you're a tourist, you pay the money because you're staying a bit longer," said Glenn Rowles, who has an art gallery on Mill Street, which will be affected.

Shropshire Council has been contacted for comment but previously told the BBC that the funds would be spent on the upkeep of existing car parks and supporting improvements to roads and public transport.

"All I say is we should have a free hour for the locals to be able to go and do their shopping, and I don't see why I have to pay more on this street than any other," added Mr Rowles.

The changes are the first stage of a wider review into parking that was agreed by the council in December 2024.

Glenn Rowles, owner of Rowles Fine Art, says there should be a free hour for locals to do their shopping

Car parks that are currently free on Sundays and bank holidays will remain free.

The proposed charges were discussed at Ludlow Town Council's meeting on Monday.

Wendy Woodward, who runs a cheese stall at Ludlow Market, said she believed the lack of parking in the town was already problematic, and the increases would put off locals even more.

"When they took the town hall down, why did they fill it in instead of making it into a car park?" she said.

"And we've always said to get a multi-storey in."

"Three pounds to many people is a lot of money. We have to make this town attractive for people to come to," said Mark Wiggin, who owns an estate agent in Bull Ring.

"I am trying to sell this town to people, and we are going backwards and are a town in decline.

"We have to say: 'Enough is enough.'"

Band 6 car parks, which include Smithfield in the town, will not increase, the council said, to "support the viability of smaller town centres".

'Charging cap'

Rob Wilson, the council's cabinet member for transport and economic growth, said officers had "worked hard to limit the rise" and that the authority had "chosen not to change the hours of operation or remove the charging cap".

"An increase in parking charges was part of the budget agreed by the last council at the start of this year," Wilson said, adding that "our financial emergency means that we must now introduce these changes".

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