Tuesday
23
April
Free parking to be debated
07/07/2020 @ 10:42
A debate on providing free car parking in Newtown throughout the county will be held at Powys County Council's full meeting later this month.
A notice of motion tabled by the Liberal Democrat and Green group has been confirmed to be on the agenda. It has called for free parking at all county council owned car parks.
The loss of on street free parking in towns such as Newtown, as changes are made to high streets to enable social distancing for shoppers, has led to calls for free parking in Powys run car parks.
Portfolio holder for the environment, Councillor Heulwen Hulme, said that “at least half” of lost parking spaces would be replaced by spaces free for the first hour in car parks.
Liberal Democrat – Green group leader, Councillor James Gibson-Watt said: “Our market town economies have been devastated by the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions and need all the help they can get.
“The decision to only allocate just a few one-hour free spaces in some car parks, equivalent to just half the lost on-street spaces in each town is just not adequate.
“We believe that the first hour of parking should be free for all those using our car parks and we hope the wider council membership will agree.”
A spokesman for PCC said that the motion is on the agenda.
He also confirmed that the council's annual meeting will not be held until the autumn.
The full council meeting on Thursday, 30 July, will be the first involving all 73 county councillors since the before the coronavirus lockdown in March.
The annual meeting, scheduled for 14 May was cancelled and council Chairman, Councillor Beverley Baynham, continues in the role for now.
At the annual meeting, the membership of all the council committees as well as allocating councillors to serve on outside bodies, such as the fire authority or police and crime panel takes place.
Legally local authorities are expected to hold an annual meeting in the spring, between March 1 to May 31.
But under the Local Authorities (Coronavirus) (Meetings) (Wales) Regulations 2020 that came into force in April all local authorities in Wales have until the end of the year to hold an annual meeting.
A notice of motion tabled by the Liberal Democrat and Green group has been confirmed to be on the agenda. It has called for free parking at all county council owned car parks.
The loss of on street free parking in towns such as Newtown, as changes are made to high streets to enable social distancing for shoppers, has led to calls for free parking in Powys run car parks.In addition, some councillors have said it would entice shoppers back into towns and help local traders.
Portfolio holder for the environment, Councillor Heulwen Hulme, said that “at least half” of lost parking spaces would be replaced by spaces free for the first hour in car parks.
Liberal Democrat – Green group leader, Councillor James Gibson-Watt said: “Our market town economies have been devastated by the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions and need all the help they can get.
“The decision to only allocate just a few one-hour free spaces in some car parks, equivalent to just half the lost on-street spaces in each town is just not adequate.
“We believe that the first hour of parking should be free for all those using our car parks and we hope the wider council membership will agree.”
A spokesman for PCC said that the motion is on the agenda.
He also confirmed that the council's annual meeting will not be held until the autumn.
The full council meeting on Thursday, 30 July, will be the first involving all 73 county councillors since the before the coronavirus lockdown in March.
The annual meeting, scheduled for 14 May was cancelled and council Chairman, Councillor Beverley Baynham, continues in the role for now.
At the annual meeting, the membership of all the council committees as well as allocating councillors to serve on outside bodies, such as the fire authority or police and crime panel takes place.
Legally local authorities are expected to hold an annual meeting in the spring, between March 1 to May 31.
But under the Local Authorities (Coronavirus) (Meetings) (Wales) Regulations 2020 that came into force in April all local authorities in Wales have until the end of the year to hold an annual meeting.
By Elgan Hearn, Local Demnocracy Reporting Service
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