Plans to charge for parking at two Leeds parks resurrected

Charges could be introduced at council-run car parks in Bramhope and Otley.
Otley Chevin Forest Park is one of the parks that could be affected. Credit: Google Maps

Controversial plans to bring in car parking charges at two north Leeds parks have been resurrected.

Drivers accessing Golden Acre Park, in Bramhope, and Otley Chevin Forest Park, overlooking Otley, could soon face paying to use the green spaces.

Leeds City Council has launched a consultation over the move, which will determine how much is charged.

Opponents say they are "appalled" and that people should be encouraged to use parks, not discouraged.

The new plans were revealed just eight months after the local authority abandoned proposals to bring in parking charges at around 30 parks across the city, following a backlash.

But the council said on Wednesday it was having to look again at the idea for Golden Acre and the Chevin as part of a wider package of money-saving measures as it struggles to "keep things running".

The authority faces one of the biggest financial crises in its history.

It is already £34m over the budget it set for the current financial year back in the spring, with 750 jobs facing the axe over the next 18 months to help bridge the funding gap.

Opposition councillors in areas affected by the proposal have condemned the idea, including Conservative pair Barry Anderson and Billy Flynn in the Adel and Wharfedale ward, in which Golden Acre Park lies.

Cllr Anderson said: "I am appalled at the haste with which this proposal is being brought forward by the ruling administration. It is very light on the actual details of what this will entail.

"A lot of the people who will be adversely affected are suffering at the moment due to current inflation pressures [that] we are all having to face up to."

He added that the issues raised earlier this year, when 40p parking charges were first mooted for parks across the city, "are still equally applicable".

Golden Acre Park car park Credit: Google Maps

Otley Chevin Park has five car parks, three of which fall in the Otley and Yeadon ward where Liberal Democrat councillors sit. They too criticised the move.

Cllr Sandy Lay said: "Limiting access to public open spaces goes against everything we believe in.

"We should be encouraging people to go out into the countryside, not discouraging them."

Otley Chevin's other two car parks fall in the Guiseley and Rawdon ward, where Conservative councillor Paul Alderson sits.

He too said he was "disappointed" the proposals had re-emerged.

He said: "Charges could deter visitors at a time when we are trying to encourage people to stay active and enjoy our local parks and green spaces.

"I am firmly of the belief that our parks should be free to access for all. This was my view last year and it remains so now."

Eleanor Thomson (Lab, Guiseley and Rawdon) said she understood the concerns but emphasised the local authority's desperate cash shortage.

She said: "Nationally, all council budgets are under unprecedented strain due to persistent government funding cuts, soaring costs, and rising demands on essential services.

"We therefore have to consider all options for keeping things running and looking after all our residents in very difficult circumstances."

A council spokesperson for the council said core government funding had more than halved since 2010 despite costs and demand for services increasing.

They added: "Parking charges would help support the costs of maintaining and improving both of these fantastic sites - ensuring that we can continue to do so - while relieving pressure on other council services.

"While the exact rates of charges is undecided and will be informed by the consultation, we aim to keep them as modest as possible in recognition of the financial pressures that we know many people face."


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