By Don Mort, local democracy reporter
An unpopular decision to scrap free parking at six locations across Leeds has been confirmed by council leaders.
New fees will be introduced at car parks in Horsforth, Guiseley, Garforth, Wetherby and Rothwell.
Senior councillors on yesterday’s decision-making executive board agreed to press ahead with the move, which will help plug a multi-million pound budget gap.
The authority was challenged to reconsider the plan, but took a final decision to proceed at the executive board meeting.
Coun Mohammed Rafique (Lab), executive member for green spaces, told councillors: “The proposal forms a critical part of our budget objectives.”
The council has said it faces a budget gap of more than £100m in 2025/26, and is overspent by around £20m in the current financial year.
Leeds Conservative leader Alan Lamb urged the council to scrap the new fees.
He told the meeting: “Even Labour members of this council think this is a mistake and you should think again. People across this city think this is a bad idea.”
Councillors won a “call-in” of the parking fees proposal, meaning it was referred for reconsideration by officers.
Concerns were raised that the fees would hit businesses in district centres. Claims were also made that people were not consulted properly.
But the council said not proceeding with the charges would add more than £400,000 to its budget problems.
Coun Lamb, who represents Wetherby, said the local authority could face legal action from people opposed to the parking charges. He said: “I believe it will come under judicial review if this decision is taken.”
Blue badge holders will be exempt from the new payments. Motorists will get up to one hour for free, then pay £1.15 for two hours, rising to a daily maximum of £3.65. Weekly tickets will be priced at £12.15.
The six affected car parks are: Fink Hill in Horsforth, Netherfield Road in Guiseley, Barleyhill Road in Garforth, Marsh Street in Rothwell and Wilderness and Station Gardens in Wetherby.
Council could sell Lord Mayor’s number plate
More than £500,000 could be raised for the cash-strapped council with the sale of the Lord Mayor’s official car number plate.
Leeds City Council is considering selling the asset, which it has owned for more than 120 years.
A sale of the civic plate, which bears the symbol ‘U1’, would help the authority plug a financial gap of more than £100m it faces next year.
Councillor Debra Coupar (Lab), the council’s executive member for resources, said: “The sale of any assets is never something we take lightly and, in an ideal world, would not be something we’d wish to do.
“However, the financial pressures we are facing are simply so acute we are being forced to look at all manner of options which we have never explored before.”
The plate is said to be the first bought in Leeds after the Motor Car Act was passed in 1903.
Rowland Winn, a founding member of the Automobile Association, gifted the number plate to Arthur Currer Briggs, when Briggs became Lord Mayor the same year.
Maybe the plate and the Jaguar should be auctioned? Curious if there is a chauffeur as well…..