Council votes to axe two hour free parking scheme

A scheme offering people two hours of free parking in Wakefield has been scrapped after the council said it was "unaffordable".

The discount, which applied at off-street car parks, was reintroduced by Labour in November 2025, in an effort to increase footfall on the borough's high streets.

However, the now Reform UK-led council voted to ditch the scheme at a meeting on Tuesday in favour of bringing back charges.

Councillor Keith Anderson, who holds responsibility for highways, transport and planning, said the offer cost the council £1.8m a year, adding that there had been "no increase in footfall" while it was in place.

"People don't come because of free parking, they come because they want to do something," he said.

"It is about what does the city offer - and by diverting money from other sources to fund parking, we deny the opportunity to spend money as a council to help the city centre.

"We have had to take money out of the budget to pay for parking that could have been used to help regeneration in our towns and cities.

"We can see how many people come into town and what the frequency of that is, and we have seen no difference."

The scheme for two hours' free parking was brought in in 2020, and scrapped in 2023 - but brought back last November.

In response to the decision, Simon Lightwood, Labour MP for Wakefield and Rothwell, said: "This was a political choice. Labour reintroduced two hours' free parking to support local businesses, strengthen our high streets and help residents with the cost of living.

"Reform have chosen to take that support away.

"Thank you to everyone who signed our petition and stood with us. This campaign doesn't end here. We'll keep fighting for our town centres and holding Reform accountable for the consequences of this decision."

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