Free parking to boost shopping in Nuneaton and Bedworth

[dutchman]

Shoppers will be able to benefit from a free parking initiative in Nuneaton and Bedworth.



The 'Small Business Saturday' scheme will allow town centre visitors to get an hour of free shopping time at four different car parks, on Saturday, December 6.

Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council has agreed to support the national Forum of Private Business scheme, and will allow car park users to benefit from an additional hour of parking to be added onto existing pay and display tickets brought during the day.

This means that shoppers will still have to pay a minimum of £1 for a one hour parking ticket, in order to qualify for the additional free hour, which will be added to the expiry time.

It is hoped that extending parking tickets will encourage more shoppers to visit the town centres on the run up to the festive period and will boost business for traders at their busiest time of the year.

The free parking hours will be available at four council car parks.

The car parks are the Town Centre and Riverside car parks in Nuneaton and the Spitalfields No 1 and the Spitalfields No 2 in Bedworth.

Councillor Tony Lloyd, cabinet member for planning and development said: "Shopping in the run-up to Christmas is always popular in our town centres and we are sure that the offer of the free additional hour in four of our town centre car parks will be well received by our customers and town centre businesses.

"We are very much in support of this initiative, and we hope that this small step helps increase the footfall in both of our town centres."

During the day council civil enforcement officers will take account of the additional free hour by extending the expiry time of the ticket purchased.

Car parking can be paid for at the pay and display ticket machine or alternatively people can use their mobile to pay using a 'Phone and Pay' service.

To pay using a mobile phone register the vehicle along with credit or debit card details online at http://www.phoneandpay.co.uk

[rebbonk]

...shoppers will still have to pay a minimum of £1 for a one hour parking ticket, in order to qualify...

So it's not free, it's sleight of hand resulting in reduced price parking!