Free parking on the way to Swindon on Sundays

22 February 2019, 09:06 | Updated: 22 February 2019, 09:08

Free parking is coming to Swindon on Sundays.

From April, Borough Council run car parks in the town centre will be free to use, to encourage more people to use the town centre at weekends.

The £390,000 cost will be covered by a 10p per hour price increase from Monday through to Saturday.

Councillor Oliver Donachie, Swindon Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Economic Development, said: ''This is great news for residents and businesses. To be able to park for free for a full day, especially at the weekend, will create new opportunities for everyone.

'''We know that the rise of online shopping has posed a number of challenges for local businesses and we want to do as much as we possibly can to help them thrive. The free parking provision on Sundays will help to create an extra 52 days of trading for businesses, and I would encourage residents to take full advantage of it.''

The first free Sunday for the Council's town centre car parks will be 7 April 2019.

Councillor Dale Heenan, Swindon Borough Council's Cabinet Member for the Town Centre, said: ''Free parking on Sundays is the big new town centre parking policy.

"I hope local residents and businesses use this opportunity to support our town centre, as we all wrestle with the challenge of online shopping and the changing high street."