'Give this high street a chance'

NIGEL FARAGE WANTS PARKING CHARGES ON HIGH STREETS TO BE SCRAPPED

- By DANIEL HOLLAND Local democracy reporter

NIGEL Farage has called for town centre parking charges to be scrapped in a bid to breathe fresh life into struggling North East high streets.

The Reform UK leader was back on the campaign trail in our region on Tuesday, visiting South Shields and Gateshead ahead of a crunch set of local elections on May 7.

The divisive Clacton MP received a decidedly mixed reception as he wandered down King Street in South Shields on a sunny Tuesday morning, with some locals shouting that he was “not welcome” in their town while others were keen to speak to him. Mr Farage called South Shields a “town in decline” and said he would “really urge hard” that prospective Reform councillors slash parking fees if they take control of South Tyneside Council next month.