Parking fee plan at park labelled 'ludicrous'

Coventry City Council is consulting plans to impose charges at three car parks at the city park

Plans to remove free parking at a green space in Coventry have been labelled "ludicrous" by park-goers, as a council consultation comes to an end.

Coventry City Council is consulting on cost-saving plans to impose charges at three car parks at the city's War Memorial Park.

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

The council said the scheme would help plug a £10.8m budget shortfall for the 2025-26 financial year.

A public consultation on the plan will close on Tuesday.

John McCarthy from Westwood Heath, said he thought the plans were "an absolutely ludicrous idea".

"As residents of Coventry, why should we be paying to use one of our best facilities?" he said.

"Surely the council must have some way of giving residents free access to this facility."

War Memorial Park in Coventry was once host to Radio 1's Big Weekend

"It's not just me it affects, there're lots of people using the park, there's dog walkers, there's people playing football there on a Sunday morning," Mr McCarthy said.

"I think the council needs to have a sit down and have a proper rethink over this."

Another person, who asked to stay anonymous, said: "I think it's not at all acceptable.

"We've been meeting as a group here for about 14 years to walk around the park.

"It's part of our social network, it's good for our wellbeing.

"There're lots of groups that do similar and I think this could stop any one of those groups."

Following the conclusion of the consultation, the council will make a final decision on the parking charges when it sets its budget plans in February.

A city council spokesperson said they were monitoring the feedback they were getting from the public.

"We appreciate all the comments we are getting from residents and providers, and this feedback will help us set a balanced budget, which we need to do by law," they said.

"No decisions will be made until after the consultation ends on Tuesday 28 January, so we encourage everyone to have their say."