The Conservatives made the pledge to implement 30 minute free parking in the run up to the 2014 local elections. The policy has been widely supported by businesses on the borough’s High Streets and by local residents.

30 minutes free parking will mean that shoppers park in designated pay and display areas for up to 30 minutes absolutely free. If a person parks for over 30 minutes then they will have to pay for the whole time that they were parked there.

The Conservatives are working to help local businesses on the High Streets compete and to help improve the borough for residents.

Councillor Terry Paton, who has responsibility for the borough’s roads said:

“We are fulfilling our pledge to support local businesses and independent shops while investing in our local High Streets. We promised to make shopping easier for local people, and we hope that it will help in the run up to Christmas.

“The Conservatives are delivering on our commitments.”

Council Leader Kevin Davis said:

“This is one of the five pledges we made before the election.

“We promised more schools and more schools are being built. We made a commitment to the vulnerable members of our community clear and as part of this we have raised the borough’s children’s services rating. We said that we would make the borough’s streets safer, so we worked with the Metropolitan police to introduce a further 12 new police officers. We pledged £1million for roads and potholes, and we are delivering.

“With 30 minutes free parking in place, we will continue to find the best ways to help local people and to improve the borough for everyone.”