Council can’t afford to not have free parking

THE current free parking is a great asset to the town of Oadby. Charging for this facility will obviously reduce the footfall in the town centre.

The success of all shopping is a location that provides easy access. Reduce the parking, increase empty shops and reduce income.

We live roughly equally distant from Oadby town centre, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Lidl.

We can obtain almost all our requirements from the latter three, offering two-hour free parking.

But we enjoy the ambience of Oadby town centre and regularly shop at M&S, Boots and other smaller shops, using the abundance of coffee/tea shops and charity shops.

We, like many others I am sure, will shop at those that offer easy, free access. It’s not just the charge that puts people off, it’s the hassle.

The council says it can’t afford £287,000 to support the car parks. It can’t afford not to.

Unless they want Oadby to look like Leicester city centre, which we now never use as it’s so easy at Fosse Park.

Controlled free parking with a two-hour limit is surely the answer.

I would like to see the breakdown of the council’s claims on costs, with the revenue from traffic wardens from street parking violation and incorrect parking on the car parks taken into account.

Plus the massive increase of housing in the area – that must provide offset income.

The facility of free parking in Oadby is for the benefit of the people of Oadby and the viability of the town.

Non-residents visiting the town add to the viability of Oadby and should not be discriminated against.

This is a short-term money spinner thought out by a short-sighted council which will ultimately be the demise of Oadby, a town centre we are currently fortunate to have.

Yvonne Gunby, Oadby