In the News: Area Committees urged to fund free evening and weekend parking

The Basildon Councillor responsible for Environment and Leisure is urging local area committees to take action and use their own budgets to support free parking in the evenings and on weekends. 

Cllr Aidan McGurran is calling on members of the Wickford and Billericay area committees to follow through on their commitment to serve the needs of their communities by allocating funds for free parking initiatives. 

Cllr McGurran explained:  

"We understand that parking has become a sensitive issue, and we must approach it with practicality. Our goal is to meet the needs of residents, visitors, and businesses without overextending our budget. 

"This year, we are tasked with finding £2.9m in savings, following last year's £6m in-year savings. While these decisions are tough, they are essential to protect critical services and allow us to prioritise key projects, like the £2m investment to reinstate weekly bin collections. 

"We are currently gathering feedback from residents and businesses and have also asked our Area Committees and town councils for suggestions on how to support our high streets, including making parking more affordable." 

Earlier this month, Basildon Council Leader Cllr Gavin Callaghan wrote to the Chairs of both Billericay and Wickford town councils to discuss the proposal to introduce evening and weekend charges in council-owned car parks. In his letter, Cllr Callaghan sought practical solutions to manage parking pressures while ensuring local businesses continue to benefit. 

Cllr McGurran added: "The area committees and town councils have access to a pool of over £1 million in taxpayer money that could be used to fund this initiative. Since car parking is a discretionary service rather than a statutory requirement, we need to find alternative funding sources. 

"If the Area Committees are willing to address these concerns, we could delay implementing changes until 1 May 2025, instead of the originally planned date of 1 April." 

The proposed changes aim to better meet local parking demands and will affect car parks at Billericay High Street, Billericay Rashford Crescent, Billericay Lake Meadows, Wickford Main, Wickford Pool, and Wickford Ladygate. 

Ends 

Published 26 March