Bradford Council are consulting on plans to remove the one hour free parking allowed to users of on-street parking bays in Ilkley.
First introduced in 2019 as part of Ilkley's contentious parking scheme residents and visitors to the town were permitted to park for free in on-street bays, for up to 30 minutes. In 2020 as part of a review of the scheme and due to feedback received, the free allowance for on street parking was increased to one hour. This was welcomed by many local businesses and is well utilised by residents and visitors alike.
In addition to rescinding the free hour for on street charges, the proposed changes also include the extension of evening charges from 6pm to 8pm and charging for parking on bank holidays.
Councillor Andrew Loy said: “My ward colleague Councillor David Nunns and I were shocked when we found out about these proposed changes. The free hour of parking is valued by residents and local businesses alike and its removal would be immensely damaging. The Council has not given us any prior warning that such significant changes were being considered, and now residents only have until 2nd July to respond to the consultation. Indeed, some people may wonder whether this was deliberate, in order to minimise the number of negative responses from all of those affected.
“The removal of the free hour will be a huge blow to residents and retailers alike. Having to pay £1 just to nip into a shop for one or two items will make it more inconvenient to shop locally and risks shifting demand to online retailers.
“Parishioners at churches of all denominations use the free hour in order to attend services. It is especially perverse to think that they may be charged to park at their church on bank holidays, including Christmas Day and Good Friday. Parents also use the free hour for school drop off and collection. If parents have to pay to take their children to school, the costs will add up quickly.
“The Council’s claim that the changes are intended ‘to simplify and standardise the current tariff structure’ is clearly spurious. This is all a revenue raising exercise, due to the Labour-run Council having massively mismanaged its finances in recent years.
“I know that some Councillors think that Ilkley residents have money to burn, but I can assure them that there are many people here who are feeling the pinch and are fed up with the Council treating Ilkley as a cash cow.
“Councillor Nunns and I would urge local residents and businesses alike to take the opportunity to make your objections regarding these proposals known to the Council by 2nd July.”
The full proposals can be found here: https://bradford.moderngov.co.uk/mgConsultationDisplay.aspx?ID=845
Please also sign our petition below which we will present to Bradford Council when the changes to on-street parking are considered.