Agenda item

Report of the Group Director of Services.

The Cabinet Member with the Local Services Portfolio introduced the report of the Group Director of Services (previously circulated) providing an update on the town centre car parking offer. 

The submitted report stated that the current parking offers had been in place in various pay and display locations to support the town centre since June 2018; since January 2021 the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) had provided the funding to support parking offers across the Tees Valley for a two-year period; in November 2022 Cabinet agreed to fund an extension of the parking offer from January 2023 until the end of March 2023 (Minute C207(2)/Nov/22 refers); the sustainability of the town centre was an immediate priority; and that it was a strong desire of the administration that the Council should continue to support and encourage use of the town centre, by considering a further short-term extension of parking offers until the end of June 2023.

Particular references were made at the meeting to the reasoning behind the extension of the parking offer and to the views of Arriva, who provided bus services in the town.  The Leader and the Cabinet Member with the Local Services Portfolio responded thereon.

RESOLVED – (a)  That the parking offer be extended for a further three months from the 1 April 2023 to the end of June 2023 and at that point parking charges be reintroduced on 1 July 2023.

(b)  That a report be submitted to Council for approval to vary the budget and release £387,000 to cover the costs of extending the parking offer for a further three months.

REASON – To support the ongoing recovery of the town centre