Business owners on Redcar High Street have told The Teesside Lead that the reintroduction of parking charges is impacting trade.
Tam Williams, the owner of Magic Nails, says the high street was already struggling and the introduction of parking charges have “killed the town even more”.
Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council (RCBC) has been forced to reintroduce parking charges on High Street, as well as in a short stay car park in Guisborough, after funding to subsidise it after the pandemic was withdrawn by the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) in May 2023. The council continued the offer while holding discussions with the TVCA in the hope of them continuing the initiative.
But in January the offer of an hour free parking was removed with shoppers now forced to pay £1.60 for the first hour and £2.20 for each additional hour.
“It’s hugely affected business,” said Williams. “People are not coming to town because of parking charges. It’s hard enough as it is and now it’s made people stop coming.
“Everybody is complaining about parking charges. People are having to park at Morrisons but they are panicking about time limits and parking is not always available there. People want to relax when they come to get their nails done and now they can’t.
“People are struggling with money anyway and this just makes it more difficult. It kills small businesses like us. It’s so quiet.”
As part of his 2020 manifesto promise, TVCA metro mayor Ben Houchen promised free parking across Tees Valley town centres.
“Our high streets need all the support they can get. Local business are the lifeblood of our area and they need a helping hand,” he said at the time. Free parking, he said, would make it easier, cheaper and more convenient for people to use our high streets and town centres.
“It is a depressing sight for people to see empty shops on the high street,” said Houchen. “By introducing free parking, we can drive up the number of people visiting our town centres, increase spending, boost our economy and create jobs.”
Stockton, Middlesbrough, Hartlepool and Darlington councils all reintroduced their parking charges last summer after the TCVA withdrew funding. Councillors from across political parties in Hartlepool signed a letter to Houchen requesting that he review the decision which they said was coming at “the worst possible time” amidst the cost of living crisis.
Houchen responded saying the car parks are "owned by the council and the charges being introduced are being introduced by the local council”.
Darlington Borough Council leader Steve Barker said continuing the offer would cost up to an additional £1.7m per year.
In August RCBC confirmed the TCVA was “not willing to extend the free parking offer for future years” leaving a £235,000 gap in its funding. The council footed the bill of extending the offer until January.
Cabinet member for Highways and Transport, councillor Carl Quartermain, said: “At a time when demand for our services is rising, particularly the needs within Children’s and Adult Social Care, and with Government funding continually in decline, it is not possible for Redcar and Cleveland to continue this offer.”
Leah Newton owns House of Foliage on Redcar High Street, selling houseplants and speciality coffee.
She said: “The area is struggling at the moment a lot of shops have been closing down so people now go elsewhere for a lot of the things they would have come to the town for.”
Both Newton and Williams say customers are more inclined to go to retail parks where they can get the majority of their shopping and park for free.
“The charges are stopping people from coming down. Small businesses like mine are starting to struggle,” said Newton.
“It would be good if the council could remove the charges. There’s nothing out there to help small businesses and it’s just added to the cost of living crisis that everybody’s feeling at the moment. In a deprived area small charges like this have a big impact.”
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