The first political battle of the new Darlington Borough Council administration has been ignited after free parking in the town centre was scrapped.

Charges for all council-run short and long stay car parks during the daytime will be re-introduced from July 3 after Labour said there was “no provision” put in place to continue the offer in the council’s budget that was approved earlier this year.

The party, which now controls the council alongside the Liberal Democrats, said the decision was made after a review of its books found it would cost an additional £1.7m per year in lost revenue, as council leader Cllr Steve Harker criticised the previous Conservative regime for mismanaging the finances. 

The Northern Echo: The previous scheme was backed by TVCA funding and mayor Ben Houchen before it ended in JanuaryThe previous scheme was backed by TVCA funding and mayor Ben Houchen before it ended in January (Image: TVCA)

“The Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP), set by the previous administration, includes overspending by £7.5m, on average, for the next four years,” added Cllr Harker.

“Continuing free parking would add to this overspend, and we would need to review the MTFP and reduce spending in other areas to make up the difference."

The decision comes as the new Labour-led administration gets to work on its manifesto pledges, which include creating a “better-run council” and to “tackle Darlington Conservatives' £30 million black hole in the council's finances”.

Funding for the scheme was provided by the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) to all five Tees Valley councils in 2021 to subsidise free parking in town centres for two years and help high street businesses recover from the impacts of covid where footfall dropped dramatically.

That funding ended in January but the Conservative council then picked up the bill to maintain it. It was guaranteed until the end of June, and while the Conservatives’ pledged to continue the scheme if it was re-elected at May’s local elections, it was voted out by the electorate. 

The Northern Echo: Former Conservative Council leader Jonathan Dulston previously hailed his party's decision to extend the schemeFormer Conservative Council leader Jonathan Dulston previously hailed his party's decision to extend the scheme (Image: Cllr Jonathan Dulston)

Despite the claims of inheriting a council in financial difficulty, the Conservatives say the decision will have an adverse impact on town centre trade.

Darlington’s MP Peter Gibson said: “This is a decision entirely within the hands of Darlington Council’s new Labour group. I fear for our fragile town centre businesses building back post pandemic.”

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The Conservative has launched a petition, calling on Labour to reverse its decision, however the number of signatories is not available for public viewing. 

Explaining the decision behind the end in funding, a TVCA spokesman said: “The parking funding from the TVCA was always earmarked to last for two years and has reached a natural end.

"The idea of the scheme was to help businesses get back on their feet but also illustrate the impact to councils for them to consider taking on similar schemes in future. The continuation of any free parking in a given borough is a matter for the individual local authorities.”