Flintshire parking charges could rise due to council's budget deficit

Changes could include introducing payment at sites which were previously free

Charges at car parks in Flintshire are set to rise, with new charges also being brought in at locations that are currently free.

Exact details of where and when the charges will increase are still being finalised but the council said it would share information as soon as possible.

One councillor said some members had been "blindsided" by the plan and had only been aware of it at a late stage.

She feared introducing charges in some areas could lead to problem parking.

A meeting of Flintshire council heard plans to find money to plug a budget deficit would see charges raised, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Cllr Helen Brown said if the Tinkersdale car park in her Hawarden ward started charging it could push people to parking on side roads or cost them significant amount dropping off and collecting children from school.

"Yellow lines have been put down by Hawarden Village Church School recently and parents are actively encouraged to park at Tinkersdale instead," she told the meeting.

"I've already asked Streetscene to look into the possibility of giving the first half hour free if they are looking to introduce charges there, because if you have kids in different year groups, you're dropping them off and picking them up at four different times of the day it is going to really cost you."

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A spokesperson for Flintshire council said: "Details of the proposed charges across the county and when they will come into place are still being finalised."