Calls for Leeds City Council to scrap Horsforth parking charges
Leeds City Council has been urged to scrap charges introduced almost a year ago at Fink Hill car park in Horsforth.
Business are suffering after trade was hit by controversial fees imposed at a town centre car park, the city council has been told.
Leeds City Council has been urged to scrap charges introduced almost a year ago at Fink Hill car park in Horsforth.
Town councillors said they were concerned the fees of up to £3.65 a day were discouraging people from visiting the town.
They also claimed cars were being displaced on to surrounding streets as drivers sought to avoid paying.
Horsforth Town Council chairman Simon Dowling said: “A lot of cars that would normally be parked in this car park today are now parked in the local residential streets.
“From listening to local businesses, they are also saying that footfall into those areas has drastically decreased since the parking charges have been introduced.”
Aiden Goulden, who chairs the town council’s planning licensing and traffic committee, said he understood the city council needed to raise funds from the charges.
He said: “But we feel the impact it’s having on the local economy is disproportionate.”
In July the city council’s executive board decided to press ahead with a review of charges introduced in Wetherby, Horsforth, Rothwell, Garforth and Guiseley.
A public consultation was launched and the results are set to be discussed by senior councillors.
A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: “Our public consultation has now closed, and we will consider all responses received as part of the review.
“The findings and recommendations will be presented to the council’s executive board in due course.”
The council also agreed to review parking charges in Otley after an appeal by Liberal Democrat councillors in the town.
But a review would not be held into charges introduced at Roundhay, Temple Newsam, Golden Acre and Middleton parks, along with Otley Chevin.
The council said those charges were paying for better facilities, including improved disabled access at Golden Acre.