An hour's free parking over Christmas period

A FIRST hour of free car parking will return to Stockton and Yarm over the Christmas period.

- By GARETH LIGHTFOOT

A FIRST hour of free car parking will return to Stockton and Yarm over the Christmas period.

The first free hour was removed from council-owned car parks in Stockton town centre and Yarm and replaced with a £1.50 charge for three hours’ parking in February.

The controversial move is being reviewed following a petition from Conservative MP Matt Vickers and a council motion calling on leaders to reverse the policy, with businesses saying it was a “wrong decision” which harmed trade.

Now Stockton Council is asking people to have their say on the impact of the new parking charges.

And it will offer the first hour's parking free in council-owned short stay car parks from November 24 to January 31 next year.

The authority says it is making the offer to support residents and businesses with their Christmas shopping and other town centre activities. It says it decided to take away the first free hour to cover the costs of maintaining and managing car parking while keeping the town centres appealing to shoppers and visitors.