Parking charges could be halved (From Oxford Mail)

Parking charges could be halved

7:20am Thursday 2nd February 2012 in Didcot

HALF-price parking could be introduced in South Oxfordshire.

Drivers using season tickets at council-run car parks will be better off if two discount schemes go ahead on April 1. But the initiatives designed to boost trade are set to cost the taxpayer £60,000 a year.

A proposal before South Oxfordshire District Council’s cabinet on February 13 wants season tickets in Didcot, Thame, Wallingford, Goring and Henley to be half price from April 1. Currently drivers pay £104 for a Didcot season ticket.

From April 1, drivers will be able to park for free from 2pm on Saturday afternoons in all district council car parks, all year round.

Both parking initiatives are in line with the recent Mary Portas review of the nation’s high streets, which recommended councils should use parking schemes to boost trade.

The new initiatives would provide a major boost for the local economy.

Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council Ann Ducker said: “Thanks to very careful financial management, we are in the position where we can significantly reduce the cost of parking.

“This will be welcomed by everyone who uses our car parks and will hopefully encourage people to spend more time in South Oxfordshire’s towns, rather than travelling elsewhere.”