Cardiff Lib Dems welcome partial climbdown on abolishing free parking period in council car parks

A campaign by the Liberal Democrats has helped force Cardiff’s Labour-run council into a partial climbdown on its plans to abolish the current free parking period at a number of council-run car parks across the city.

Earlier in the year, the council’s Labour leaders announced plans to scrap the current two-hour free parking period which currently applies at a number of car parks in suburbs across the capital.

Cardiff Liberal Democrats launched a campaign against these plans arguing they would hit trade for many struggling local shops and businesses. They also argued the plans would lead to parking being displaced into neighbouring residential streets making it harder for residents living close to local district shopping centres to park near their own homes.

At the full council meeting on 6 March 2025, the Liberal Democrat council group leader Councillor Rodney Berman handed in a petition of 1,132 signatures against the plans.

Now the Labour-run council has announced that instead of scrapping the free parking period altogether, it will still retain a 30-minute free parking period in the affected car parks.

Councillor Rodney Berman said: “I welcome this partial climbdown by Cardiff Council’s Labour leaders. It is clear our petition has had an impact and caused them to think again in the wake of widespread public opposition to their plans.

“In recent years, our local shops and businesses have battled a number of storms including Covid, the cost-of-living crisis and a weak economy. And now they are also being hit with Labour’s rise in employers’ national insurance contributions which has been the final straw for some local businesses.

“It’s time we gave those businesses a break rather than imposing more measures that will hit their trade.

“Whilst I would have preferred the council to have agreed to retain a longer free parking period than just 30 minutes, this is at least better than having no free parking period at all.”

ENDS

Notes:

The car parks impacted include: Penylan Library, North Road, Heath (Heath Park Main, Heath Park Model Railway and Heathwood Lane), Canton (Grey Street, Harvey Street, Severn Road and Wellington Street), Whitchurch (Merthyr Road and Penlline Road), Llandaff (High Street and Llandaff Fields) and Pontcanna Fields