COPELAND Council continues to move ‘back to normal’ with the reintroduction of parking charges for all customers.
The council has been offering free town centre parking, initially for all key workers, and since mid-June, for key NHS and care workers who obtained a permit from their employer.
Mayor Mike Starkie said: “As lockdown begins to end, it’s not sustainable for us to continue the free parking for NHS and care key workers. I think they have really appreciated the gesture, but we believe it’s probably not necessary now. It also puts our revenues under pressure at a time when local government finances are already severely stretched. We need to continue our gradual return to ‘business as normal.”
The council intends to stand down the free parking scheme, which applied to long-stay paid-for town centre car parks, beginning on September 1. From this date normal parking charges will apply and the correct parking tickets/permits will need to be displayed by anyone using the council’s car parks.
The Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners are adopting the same position, also from September 1.
Celia MacKenzie, Chief Executive of the WHC, said: “This is just another move towards the country/borough moving out of lockdown and helping to establish normality. We will, however, react to any change in need, should local or national lockdown measures be re-imposed in the event of a resurgence of infections.”
