Keighley and Ilkley’s MP Robbie Moore has presented a petition to parliament opposing Bradford Council’s new parking charges across the District, the latest step in opposition to the controversial move.
The Bradford District Parking Charges petition is signed by over 1,100 residents and highlights concerns about the new £35 parking permit fees, the introduction of increased hourly parking charges affecting small businesses and shoppers, and charging some residents for parking outside their own homes.
It comes after Bradford Council introduced a raft of controversial new parking fee changes across the district. As part of the plan, a flat £1 hourly rate has been introduced, rising to £1.50 per hour at busier locations, free evening parking has been scrapped, and a £35 charge was brought in earlier this month
The council argues that these measures are necessary to raise an estimated £2.7 million over the next two and a half years to alleviate financial pressures.
However, many residents and businesses are critical of the changes, with some local businesses reporting a 40% drop in customers since the charges were introduced.
Speaking in Parliament, Mr Moore condemned the Council’s decision, stating:
“We are now hearing stories of local shops losing nearly half their footfall and residents being forced to pay just to park outside their own homes. These extortionate charges are an insult to hardworking people who are being asked to pay the price of a litany of failures by Bradford’s Council’s current Leadership.
In Parliament, MPs can present petitions to seek a formal government response, helping to raise the profile of local issues on a national level. The petition aims to urge the Government to call on Bradford Council to reverse its decision on the new parking charges, protecting both residents and local businesses.
A full text of the petition reads:
The petition of residents of the Bradford District,
Declares that the proposed increase in car parking charges across the Bradford District and the introduction of new charges for residents’ parking permits will place an unfair financial burden on residents and workers; notes concern that individuals are now being required by Bradford Council to pay to park outside their own homes; and further declares that new charges will adversely affect small businesses and retail outlets.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to encourage Bradford Council to reverse the proposed increases to car parking charges, and the new parking permit charges, across Keighley and Ilkley and the Bradford District.
And the petitioners remain, etc.
Speaking after the presenting the petition, Robbie Moore MP said:
“Bradford Council leaders have chosen to charge residents to park where they live, where they work, and where they shop. We are now hearing stories of local shops losing nearly half their footfall because of this decision and I certainly won’t stay silent while families and local businesses pay the price, which is exactly why I have now brought this issue to the national stage. It’s clear Bradford’s Council leaders are failing local residents and need to urgently rethink these proposals.”
