Parking charges to continue at 15 council-owned car parks in Elgin from tomorrow
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PARKING charges are set to continue at 15 Moray Council-owned pay-and-display car parks in Elgin from tomorrow.
The charges were stopped in March due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic to minimise contact and gathering around parking meters.
This resulted in a significant loss of income for Moray Council. In 2019, car parking charges generated £876,000 for the council, with around £400,000 lost to this year due to charges being put on hold.
However, the council's Free After Three scheme will return until January 2, 2021, at the St Giles Centre in Elgin. Parking at the car park will be free from Monday until Saturday until that date.
At a meeting of Moray Council's economic growth, housing and environmental sustainability committee, councillors agreed to start the scheme in October this year – instead of in November.
The committee's chairman councillor Graham Leadbitter (Elgin City South, SNP) said: “The Free After Three scheme has been well received in previous years and this year we will run it for an extra month from the point that parking charges are introduced to help encourage people to support local businesses.
“In recent weeks there have been complaints from shoppers unable to access the surface car parks in Elgin because the lack of charging is encouraging all-day parking from people who don’t normally park all day, leaving few spaces for shoppers – some of whom I know have taken their business elsewhere.
“The reintroduction of charges is important in managing our car parking space to ensure there is availability for shoppers through the day – and it is also important income for the council to pay for the wide range of important services that are being delivered for our communities.”
