Powys Council will debate whether to offer free parking in its car parks at its first full meeting in four months.

The Liberal Democrat-Green group in the council has tabled a motion calling for an hour's free parking in all council-run car parking spaces, including those on the Herefordshire-Powys border in Hay-on-Wye, Presteigne and Knighton.

Plans are in place to offer an hour's parking to replace "at least half" of on-street spaces which have been lost to allow for pavements to be widened in an attempt to ensure shoppers can adhere to social distancing while out and about in local towns.

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But the opposition group said the measures were not enough to help towns recover from the impact of lockdown, and has now got a motion on the agenda to extend free parking.

The Liberal Democrat – Green group leader, Councillor James Gibson-Watt, said:  “Our market town economies have been devastated by the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions and need all the help they can get.

“The decision to only allocate just a few one-hour free spaces in some car parks, equivalent to just half the lost on-street spaces in each town, is just not adequate.

“We believe that the first hour of parking should be free for all those using our car parks and we hope the wider council membership will agree.”

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The calls for free parking in the county council’s car parks could include those in Hay-on-Wye’s Oxford Road, Norton Arms in Knighton and Hereford Street in Presteigne. 

A council spokesman said the motion is on the agenda at the full council meeting on July 30 – the first involving all 73 members since the last pre-lockdown meeting on March 5.

The calls for free parking in Powys follows Herefordshire’s Council’s decision to suspend parking charges in its car parks and at on-street pay and display locations until July 24.

READ MORE: Free parking in council car parks