Proposal to introduce evening and weekend parking charges in Royston scrapped

A proposal to introduce evening and weekend parking charges in Royston has been scrapped.

Councillors voted in favour of increasing car parking tariffs Royston as well as Hitchin and Letchworth at a meeting of North Herts District Council’s cabinet on Monday night.

The existing tariffs have remained unchanged since 2010, but the council decided earlier in the year to raise them so that they fall back in line with inflation.

Initial car parking tariff proposals for Hitchin included the introduction of Sunday and evening charges on a trial basis, which would have been rolled out in Royston if it was successful.

The tariff increases will be implemented ‘as soon as possible’.

Councillor Julian Cunningham, who oversees car parking for the council, said: “We realise that residents and businesses right across the district have been affected by the economic downturn but we are still under considerable pressure to make budget savings. Every effort has been made to retain the one hour tariff to promote economic vitality in our town centres.”