
Wakefield Sunday parking charges plan scrapped by council
Charges are in place at most car parks between 08:00 and 18:00, Monday to Saturday.According to the notices, the authority also intended to introduce a maximum vehicle length of five metres at Tithe Barn Street car park, in Horbury.The plan also included introducing a loading area at Anglers Country Park car park, Wintersett Reservoir, and proposed bank holiday charges at Newmillerdam Country Park car park.
But Matthew Morley, the council's cabinet member for planning and highways, said: "We're scrapping plans to introduce Sunday parking charges."We're here for residents and businesses and it's not what our towns and city centre needs."In April last year, the council increased car parking charges across the district for the first time in eight years.The authority said at the time it had been left with "no choice" but to put up fee due to financial challenges.Parking charges were reintroduced at most council car parks in April 2023, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.Previously, two hours' free parking had been in place at off-street car parks since the start of the pandemic in April 2020.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
Fresh blow for 1,000s of caravan drivers over new £10 charge sparking fierce backlash
MOTORHOMES and campervans are at risk of having nowhere to park, after a popular tourist spot introduces £10 charge. In what will be a huge blow to larger vehicle owners, a local authority appears set to significantly reduce motorhome parking, GB News reports. Pembrokeshire County Council will consider a single overnight parking facility at Goodwick Moor car park next week. This comes after the collapse of the broader initiative which would have established designated motorhome stops at four locations across the county. This new scaled-back proposal marks a considerable reversal from previous plans launched by the council in February last year. The measures aimed to create year-round facilities for larger vehicles by charging £10 per night at sites in Tenby, Narberth and Pembroke Dock alongside Goodwick. The scheme attracted national attention but was rejected after fierce resistance from local tourism businesses. The backlash stemmed from fears that the original proposals would damage their operations, with Visit Pembrokeshire being among those to express serious reservations. This negativity resulted in the council choosing to scale back its plans and abandon the wider parking measures in September last year. The authority has since opted to pursue a single overnight stopover facility at Goodwick Moor. This stopover point is conveniently located near the Fishguard ferry terminal. Council officers have recommended a conditional approval for a two-year trail period, noting that the proposal requires no physical alterations to the existing park. Molly-Mae Hague slammed for 'always complaining' as she reveals 'struggles' on £86k motorhome holiday with Tommy Fury Official council documents read: "A Management Plan has been provided in support of the application, and it states that the proposal would allow for one night stopover for Motorhomes / Campervans within certain areas of the car park for a trial period. "The car park currently operates as a public car park, which has seen a significant growth in Motorhomes using the facility. "However, the primary use of the site would continue as a car park, while regulating the overnight stays." Officers hope that the scheme will "regulate existing activities" in an acknowledgement that overnight stays often already occur at the site. However, Fishguard and Goodwick Town Council has formally objected to the application, raising multiple concerns about the scheme's impact on residents and local businesses. Councillors worry that the proposal will have a negative impact on local businesses and residents, and also cause a loss of evening parking for those who use the facility. Also, the council's own Pollution Control Team raised concerns, initially recommending refusal. It cited "a history of complaints associated with this particular location where it has been utilised for overnight parking of Heavy Goods Vehicles." However, the site's designation as employment land under the Local Development Plan presents a policy conflict, as the area is allocated for business and storage uses rather than tourism facilities. Council officers acknowledged this breach but argued that the temporary nature of the proposal wouldn't prevent future employment development, particularly given that no detailed employment schemes have emerged since the plan's adoption in 2013. The council document added: "The development would predominantly remain a car park but would enable users of certain vehicles the option to stay overnight. "The proposal includes the installation of bins and updates to signage to facilitate the development, which are minor and could be installed under the permitted development rights afforded to the applicant." The Sun has reached out to Pembrokeshire County Council for further comment. 1


The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
Major UK retail chain to DEMOLISH ‘ghost town' store after collapsing into administration
A MAJOR UK retail chain is poised to knock down a 'ghost town' branch after the firm fell into administration. The Wilko store located on Kirkgate in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, is earmarked for demolition so the southern entrance to the city centre can be redeveloped. 2 The outlet shut its doors in 2023 after the high street chain of homestores went into administration. It is one of five commercial properties in the area that are due to be knocked down. They will be replaced with new homes and business units as part of a wider scheme by the local council to regenerate the area. Mini Market, Mattress and Divan Centre, Sweet Sensations and Hi Sushi are the other retail outlet set to be flattened as part of the plans. Wakefield Council was given nearly £25million worth of funding for the scheme from the government's Towns Fund in 2019. The work was approved following a planning proposal which had been submitted by the council but a planning officer's report said a further application would have to be submitted before the site could be redeveloped. Lower Kirkgate is a key route to get to the waterfront and is considered a major gateway to the city centre. The council had previously called the area a 'blight' on the city, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. It is also hoped that the redevelopment will encourage 'younger professionals' to live in the city centre and "bring year-round day and evening vibrancy" to the area, according to the council. Wilko closed its doors for good in 2023 after nearly a century in business, with more than 400 stores shutting and 12,000 staff affected. Visiting the new Wilko Store The news comes after the homeware giant Wayfair slashed its UK workforce by more than half in just two years, as it grapples with tumbling sales and a sharp drop in profit. The US -based furniture retailer, which operates across Britain, cut staff numbers from 847 in 2022 to just 405 by the end of 2024, according to fresh filings with Companies House. Wilko isn't the only retailer feeling the pinch on the high street. Furniture favourite collapsed into administration in 2022 after failing to find a buyer, leading to hundreds of job losses. Habitat also shut down all standalone stores in 2021, moving exclusively online after years of underperformance. Even major players have been forced to adapt. Argos has continued to reduce its physical footprint, shutting dozens of standalone shops and moving into parent company Sainsbury's stores to save costs. Retail experts say changing consumer habits, rising costs and weaker demand are continuing to batter the home and furniture sector. Many shoppers have tightened their belts amid soaring bills and higher interest rates, with big-ticket items like sofas and beds often the first to be cut from household budgets. RETAIL PAIN IN 2025 The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion. Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April. A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024. Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure. The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year. It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year. Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025." Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector. "By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020." 2


Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
If you reckon Aussie parking is expensive, wait until you see the INSANE bill footy great Quade Cooper copped for leaving his car in a garage in Japan
Quade Cooper has joked that he might have to 'take out a loan' after the Wallabies legend revealed that he had accidentally left his car in a public car park while he was on vacation. The former Queensland Reds star is currently plying his trade in Japan, having first moved to the country in 2019 to play for the Hanazono Kintetsu Liners in Osaka. The 37-year-old made 43 appearances for the Japanese side before taking up a role as an attack coach with the footy club earlier this year. Cooper has been taking some time off between seasons, spending time in America and Australia in recent weeks. But he revealed to fans on Instagram on Sunday that he'd been stung by a nasty parking ticket. 'I just got back to Japan and I've left my car in a public car park after I went home to Australia.' 'I told a friend to pick it up, which I wasn't very clear what I said first.' 'Now I'm going to go pick it up and let's see how much it costs. I might have to get a loan out.' After slotting his ticket into the parking machine, Cooper was left with a nasty surprise, charging him 102,600 Japanese Yen. That works out to a whopping $1076.08. 'One thousand dollars in parking,' he said, gobsmacked. 'There's your lesson kids... Do not leave your car parked in a public car park when you go on holiday.' Cooper enjoyed a glittering career playing in Australia and France. The Auckland-born playmaker would play for the Reds for the lion's share of his career, making 137 appearances for the Queensland outfit in Super Rugby. In the later stages of his career, Cooper would also enjoy spells with Brisbane City, and Toulon in France before moving to Japan. He'd go on to win 80 caps for Australia with the fly-half playing for the Wallabies between 2008 and 2023 as well as the country's sevens side. In recent weeks, Cooper has opened up on his view of how the Wallabies are recruiting players. With Australian rugby having waned in recent years, Cooper believes it's time for a change to the 'outdated' approach to player selection. It comes after Joe Schmidt's side were beaten 2-1 in this year's British and Irish Lions series, despite bouncing back in the third Test in Sydney to thump Andy Farrell's side on Saturday. With some of Australia's top stars currently playing overseas, the laws around eligibility have been relaxed in recent years, however Joe Schmidt has still been reluctant to pick overseas players, and even snubbed some players who had penned deals to head abroad following the Super Rugby season. 'South Africa has won two World Cups by embracing overseas-based players. Meanwhile, Australia's refusal to go down the same path has cost the Wallabies immensely,' Cooper said in his column in the Courier Mail. 'Every year, the same debate circles Australian rugby: should overseas-based players be allowed to represent the Wallabies. 'And every year, we rehash the same talking points without facing the obvious truth — if we want to compete with the world's best, we need to select the world's best players, regardless of where they play. 'Look at South Africa. They've won the past two Rugby World Cups and dominated the global stage not because they've kept their stars locked at home, but because they've embraced a smarter model.'