A week ago I witnessed a fascinating debate on Twitter. Shrewsbury trader Julia Wenlock put Shropshire council leader Keith Barrow on the spot about Sunday car parking charges. After a lengthy exchange, Keith agreed to a free parking day on 30 June.
During the discussion Keith revealed that for Shrewsbury: “We offered free parking on a Sunday if shops opened and that offer still stands.”
Shrewsbury needs initiatives like this to give a boost to trade in The Loop. But why has the council leader not made an equivalent offer to Ludlow? Many of our shops already open on Sunday. I am sure that others would open if there was a hope of more customers.
This morning, Keith announced a further initiative for Shrewsbury. He said that Shrewsbury will benefit from eight Super Sunday parking days with all-day parking for the price of an hour. Keith made clear that this initiative will not be extended to Ludlow. Why not?
Once again, the needs of Ludlow are being by ignored councillors in Shirehall.
Parking charges put off shoppers. The independent traders of Ludlow need every bit of help they can get. Let’s have free parking on Sundays and get people flocking to our high street.