A FORMER Carlisle city councillor has hit out at a decision to scrap a regime of free weekend city centre parking.

The city’s former Conservative led authority ushered in free parking for weekends and bank holidays as part of a strategy to tempt visitors back into the city as the UK’s economy battled to rebuild after the pandemic.

But one of the first changes adopted by the new Labour led Cumberland Council has been to scrap the scheme.

Officials spent time over the first weekend of the change offering guidance and advice to motorists rather than enforcement – to guard against people being caught off-guard by the new regime.

But Gareth Ellis, who was a Conservative city councillor over many years and served at Deputy Leader before the authority ceased operating, has hit out at the new policy.

“The whole idea was to get people back into the city centre,” he said. “For small businesses in particular, it’s all about footfall and offering free and reduced parking costs was a practical way of increasing that.

“Scrapping the free weekend parking is just going to make life harder for businesses in our city. The idea was to stimulate Carlisle’s economy. I think it worked well and helped to make the city centre busier.

“It seems to show that the new Cumberland Council is going to have less focus on Carlisle.” Mr Ellis said the new policy also failed to recognise the reality that car owners can continue to park for free at out of town venues.

It also makes little sense at a time when the country is in the grip of a cost of living crisis, he added.

When the decision to grant free weekend parking in Carlisle's council owned car parks  was made by the former City Council in February last year, it was hailed as an ‘investment’ in the local economy as recovered post pandemic.

As well as the free weekend parking regime, the Council last year cut the weekday cost of the first hour of parking cut from £1.30 to £1. Now, the cost of the first hour of parking in former city council car parks has risen to £1.40.

A report at the time suggested abolishing weekend parking charges would come with an annual cost in lost revenue of £125,000, which the new Cumberland Council is set to take back.

Carlisle resident Gordan Hanning said that the change is ‘ridiculous’ and could harm city centre struggling businesses. “Businesses and shops are struggling at the moment, and this is going to affect trade in the city centre,” he said.

Officials calculate abolishing weekend parking charges will come with an annual cost in lost revenue of £125,000 - but that sum is regarded as an investment in post-pandemic economic regeneration for Carlisle, says the City Council's Deputy Leader Gareth Ellis.

A Cumberland Council spokesperson said: “Our council car parks have a variety of payment options and in Carlisle, saver permits offer a great discount on parking.

“There is also an early bird offer in some of our city centre car parks which provide a discounted price for all day parking if you park before 10.30am, Monday to Friday. Free weekend and bank holiday parking in Carlisle council car parks ended in late March.

“We encourage users of our car parks to check the relevant information boards for current prices.”