A pledge by Bradford Council's Leader to introduce free parking across the District is currently "not deliverable."
The Council’s Reform Executive has said they “are not yet able to implement” a shake up of existing parking restrictions – including a free hour of parking at Council owned car parks – that was announced this Summer.
One top Reform Councillor said:
“We appreciate that residents will be frustrated.”
In July new Council Leader Stephen Place posted a video on Bradford Council’s social media pages to announce several changes to parking across the District.
The announcement claimed the changes would go before a meeting of the Executive in September to be ratified.
His announcement said:
“Since we formed the administration in May this year, there’s been a lot of noise about car parking and, of course, we’ve been listening.
“I do have three announcements, but they are subject to ratification in September at the Executive meeting.
“So, number one, during the week, if you need to pop and shop, you get one hour’s free parking in Bradford-owned car parks.
“Also, in the evening, to help the night-time economy, car parking from 6pm onwards will be free.
“And the final part of our announcement is that leisure centres and certain visitor attractions throughout the school holidays will be completely free to help you take your kids out and have a good day.”
The proposals were not on the agenda for the September meeting, held on Tuesday morning.
But they were briefly mentioned in a discussion about the proposed reopening of the Sugden End tip.
Councillor Ian Eglin, Portfolio Holder – Corporate Resources, said in passing that the proposed changes had been postponed while discussing the Council’s current financial situation.
After the meeting the Local Democracy Reporting Service asked for clarity on the comments from Bradford Council.
Councillor Ian Walker, Bradford Council Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Communities, said:
“Despite every best effort from the Cabinet, we are not yet able to implement improved car parking measures at Bradford Council-owned sites.
“Due to financial pressures felt by the local authority, such proposals are not deliverable in the short term and therefore were not ready for ratification at the September Executive Meeting.
“However, it remains our firm view that free car parking would provide relief for shoppers and support our local retail and nighttime economy.
“We appreciate that residents will be frustrated by delayed progress.
“Your Administration shares this frustration and is committed to exploring other options, with a view towards future introduction of improved car parking measures in the next financial year.”
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