Cabinet to have their say on future of car parking

The role that car parking plays in supporting town centre economies will be discussed by West Suffolk Council’s Cabinet next week.

It will be the first opportunity that Cabinet members have had to formally consider car parking recommendations from a Car Parking Review Group plus referrals that have been put forward by the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Next Tuesday, Cabinet will consider a report from its Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

It has asked Cabinet to look at how much it would cost not only to keep, but also to extend the Free from 3 schemes. It has also recommended Cabinet retain free parking in Brandon. The Overview and Scrutiny Committee heard there had been two petitions, one against the introduction of charges in Brandon and another calling for two days of free parking in all West Suffolk towns.

Peter Stevens, Cabinet Member for Operations which includes car parks, said: “We recognise that each of our town centres is unique in its offer and we’ve been listening to concerns raised in response to the review group’s recommendations.

“We are mindful of the challenges facing high streets nationally which is why we will be discussing extending Business Rate Relief next week and why we continue to invest in our town centres.”

Cabinet meets next Tuesday at 6pm at its offices in College Heath Road, Mildenhall.