A scheme to continue two-hours free parking in Darlington has been criticised for jeopardising a council’s green transport ambitions.

The discount offer has been in place throughout the town centre since June 2018 and was helped by funding support from the Tees Valley Combined Authority. That funding has now ended but Darlington Council agreed to continue the free parking offer from November until July.

Council leader Jonathan Dulston says the scheme will hopefully attract more visitors and turn its town centre into a shopping hotspot. 

Yet funding the parking temporarily prioritises the town centre’s recovery over other policy objectives, the council has admitted, specifically the promotion of sustainable transport and climate change impacts.

Labour councillor for Haughton and Springfield, Chris McEwan, called for a more balanced approach and labelled it ‘short-sighted’, while cllr Stephen Harker added that it contradicts the council’s green agenda.

Responding to the concerns, Cllr Jonathan Dulston said: “The reality is car parking is a massive driver into our town centre. This is a driver to encourage local trade. This does conflict with our future aspirations but in the here and now it has to be done.”

A further £387,000 from the authority’s budget will be spent on maintaining the discount for shoppers on top of the £475,000 allocated last year, meaning a total of £862,000 is being spent on the scheme.

Green party councillor Bryony Holroyd said: “If this money is there we should be using it to fund sustainable transport and not subsidised car parking. We should be encouraging people to come into town in a less damaging way."

The Northern Echo: Funding the parking temporarily prioritises the town centre’s recovery over other policy objectives, the council has admitted. Funding the parking temporarily prioritises the town centre’s recovery over other policy objectives, the council has admitted. (Image: The Northern Echo)

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But Cllr Pauline Culley agreed with the council leader and said car travel remains the most popular for shoppers. “I can’t possibly carry my gin quota on the bus. Give your head’s a shake,” she said.

The council leader also said he remains in discussion with Tees Valley mayor, Ben Houchen, on the apparent closure of the Tees Flex bus service. Tees Flex, which is operated by Stagecoach, covers Darlington, Hartlepool, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton, and is intended to help residents in more isolated communities who rely on public transport. 

The potential closure comes as Darlington residents continue to deal with cancelled and unreliable bus services throughout the town, with councillors calling for greater investment to keep services running.