Halifax car parking charge battle as council says it has only had nine complaints over the changes

More than 2,000 people signed Penny Hutchinson’s petition urging Calderdale Council to review the impact of increased periods of charging because of their impact on business.

But the council says it has only had nine complaints about Halifax town centre aspects of the changes.

These have seen existing charges in Halifax’s short stay council parking areas, Hebden Bridge, Sowerby Bridge and West Vale extended until 8pm, charges extended to Sundays and bank holidays in Halifax town centre short stay car parks and on-street spaces and bank holidays becoming chargeable in Hebden Bridge.

In the event a majority of Place Scrutiny Board councillors voted to note the report, and to copy senior Cabinet members into the petition.

Coun Jacob Cook (Con, Greetland and Stainland) said Ms Hutchinson, who is the Conservative candidate for Town ward in May’s local elections, started the petition which showed a lot of people against the increases.

“We are asking the increases be reversed and extensions to time be put back to what it was.

“There has been a noticeable effect on businesses and footfall in the town centre and other areas.

“It can’t be ignored, it is causing issues,” he said.

Ms Hutchinson said she had been contacted by businesses who told her customers has complained to them about the changes and impacting on trade at those times – for example, in the case of short stay parking in Halifax centre, the charging range being increased from free after 6pm to people now having to pay until 8pm.

One complained they had seen a barrage of cancellations of regular bookings at the affected time.

And there were plenty of empty parking spaces seen around town at those times, she claimed.

But the council’s Head of Neighbourhoods, Andrew Pitts, said it was important to be clear what extended charging meant.

It applied to the one, two, three or four hour and short-stay parking – all the long stay car parks remained free after 6pm, and disabled people who had the “blue badge” were unaffected at any of the parking spaces.

The council clearly acted on its own information and “intel”. “In terms of complaints, we have not received a lot – nine about Halifax town centre,” he said.

Mr Pitts said four were from residents and three from attendees at a venue which was a hundred yards away from one of the free places.

Ms Hutchinson doubted the changes were having the intended economic affect but Mr Pitts countered by saying projected income to the council was on track.

Mr Pitts said the rationale was to create a choice and a zonal affect – closer to the town centre cost more for the convenience but free on-street parking was available just a few hundred yards from evening or weekend destinations.

Coun Dave Young (Lab, Calder) said the petition was “pure electioneering” and it was always the same when charges went up – he said he had received no emails at all about the subject as a ward councillor for Hebden Bridge.

The COVID-19 virus and uncertainty it caused for two years was to blame, he claimed.

A bar owner supported this and said his business was growing and getting better and better in the evening and believed people were getting used to going out again.

Cabinet member for Climate Change and Resilience, Coun Scott Patient (Lab, Luddenden Foot), said the increases were a slight extension of the council’s charging.

Coun Jenny Lynn (Lab, Park), Cabinet member for Public Services and Communities, said the idea that people going for a £40 meal for two would not pay an extra £1.60 or so did not hold water, and the extra parking cost less than, for example, bus passengers paid to come into town.

But Coun Paul Bellenger (Lib Dem, Greetland and Stainland) said the figures the increases being brought in were not costed against the staffing needed to monitor the parking areas.

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