Thousands of drivers in England face new parking rules 'from 5pm to 10pm'

Drivers in England face new "free parking" rules as a major council SCRAPS the perk. Warrington Borough Council is proposing changes to parking charges in Stockton Heath and Lymm, which would see the removal of ‘free parking’ periods.

With a budget gap of around £30m, the council needs to make difficult choices, to balance the budget and ensure vital, frontline services are protected. The proposals include the Forge car park in Stockton Heath and the Pepper Street, Davies Way and Henry Street car parks in Lymm.

The proposals for these car parks are, in Lymm, the removal of the ‘first hour free’ parking, with the introduction of a fee of 70p for parking for up to 1 hour, and in Stockton Heath, the removal of ‘free after 3pm’ parking, with standard parking charges being introduced up until 5pm.

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The changes include the introduction of a new evening rate in Stockton Heath, Monday to Saturday, from between 5pm - 10pm. Warrington Borough Council Leader and Cabinet Member for transport, Cllr Hans Mundry, said: “We know how important it is to residents, visitors and shoppers who use our car parks that charges remain competitive and affordable. We have kept this in mind throughout our review of our car parking charges.

“While we are proposing to remove free parking periods in Stockton Heath and Lymm - as part of our work to make savings across the board - we are committed to keeping the new charges to the absolute minimum.

“These proposals reflect the difficult choices necessary if we want to achieve the savings we need to protect frontline services. However, even with these changes, parking costs in Stockton Heath and Lymm would remain lower than many of our neighbouring local authorities.”

The council is planning to start the statutory consultation on these proposals in the near future, with a view to the changes to be introduced in the spring of 2025.