Warning new parking charges will ‘decimate’ Halesowen town centre trade
The introduction of parking charges could severely damage trade in Halesowen according to campaigners and town centre traders.
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Dudley Council has announced new charges for the first two hours of parking and a hike in prices for longer stays - despite growing opposition to the plan.
A petition against the charges on change.org has already gathered more than 2,000 signatures opposing the first phase of the authority’s new parking strategy.
Resident Phil Rose, who is leading calls to scrap the charges, said: “The impact on the town will be astronomical, a lot of traders are independent and hanging on by their fingertips, this will be another nail in the coffin.”
Charges across Dudley borough starting at £1.20 for an hour will come into force in October and are expected to raise around £3.5m for the cash-strapped council.
Councillor Damian Corfield, Dudley cabinet member for highways and environmental services, said: “As a council we have set a target to deliver nearly £40 million worth of savings over the next three years to balance our books. This will go some way towards that and help to protect our critical front-line services.