Free Christmas parking bid rejected by Caerphilly council

Blackwood High Street car park, pictured in June 2025. Credit: Google

A request for free parking across Caerphilly County Borough’s car parks this Christmas has been rejected, largely because of costs.

Cllr Amanda McConnell said the council would lose £75,000 if it offered two hours of free parking this winter.

The council also warned that workers could use the scheme, leaving fewer spaces for shoppers.

Cllr Kevin Etheridge said he was disappointed after the council rejected his proposal for a second year running.

Speaking at the council meeting on Tuesday, November 10, Blackwood councillor Kevin Etheridge said delaying charges in December and early January would “help traders in all towns and on high streets”.

But Cllr McConnell said waiving all parking charges would cost the council more than £100,000.

She said the council would also face “operational costs”, including software changes to pay-and-display machines that would add thousands to the bill.

Other costs included updating car-park signs, promoting the scheme and handling customer enquiries.

Cllr McConnell said previous free-parking schemes had exposed “considerable hidden costs”.

She said complaints would rise during a scheme and continue “for many months” afterwards, with drivers claiming they could not park, had been wrongly charged or had missed its end.

“These enquiries generate a disproportionate burden that diverts resources from core service delivery,” she said. “In addition, free parking initiatives often result in subsequent requests from residents, businesses and elected members seeking to make the arrangements permanent or to extend them further, creating ongoing expectations that are not financially sustainable.”

The cabinet member accepted that some retailers and customers “often” view free parking positively.

However, she said the council had weighed those views against lost income and the scheme’s impact on the service, including the risk that shop workers and traders could take spaces from shoppers and town-centre visitors.

After the meeting, Cllr Etheridge said the scheme had been rejected “on financial grounds, and this will drive shoppers to Cwmbran and Newport”.

“I feel sorry for our high streets and traders,” he added.

A 2023 report found shoppers choosing Cwmbran because it was easier to park, while Newport Retail Park’s car park was full.