Hard-pressed retailers need to see an end to the five-month delay in bringing forward a more attractive car parking offer for Ormskirk says a long-serving councillor in the town.

Yesterday, Cllr Adrian Owens told QLocal: “Labour made a promise at last July’s council meeting to bring forward new proposals for Ormskirk’s car parks by September, yet still we are waiting.

"After Christmas, is the hardest time of the year for retailers and yet there is still no sign of the long-promised plans. They weren’t on the agenda for this month’s cabinet meeting.”

Cllr Owens said that Our West Lancashire had proposed a 12-month trial of car parking concessions to reduce parking charges or extend free parking after full consultation with the town’s retailers. This would have been funded with £80,000 from the current year’s financial underspend, but Labour instead promised its own scheme would be unveiled. This comes as many other towns reduce car parking charges.

Cllr Owens said “This delay is symptomatic of the wrong priorities the Labour-run council has for the town centre. I’m hearing of continued difficulties from the council being faced by people wanting to bring new events into the town centre. If Labour had backed the £15,000 we proposed to support new markets and festivals, perhaps event organisers would find the council’s doors opening instead of closing.”

Pictured are Cllrs Owens and Ian Davis in the Wheatsheaf Walk car park.

*At July’s Council meeting, Portfolio holder with responsibility for car parks, Cllr John Hodson in rejecting Our West Lancashire’s idea, said that the council would be bringing forward their own proposals in September 2017. Oldham Council offers three hours free parking on Saturdays with a reported increase in usage of 22%. Rochdale offers three hours free parking on some if its car parks every day. In Bolton, free weekend car parking resulted in the number of visits increasing from 85,000 to 205,000 while Chorley Council has introduced 3 hours free parking on all long stay car parks in May 2017. Ormskirk is also of course now competing with the free car parking offered at the new Burscough Pippin Street shopping area.

There's free car parking Saturday and Sunday at Derby street.

"There's free car parking Saturday and Sunday at Derby street." says a councillor who has free parking there every day of the week!