Many of Bedford’s councillors are concerned that the Mayor’s parking policies are driving shoppers to Milton Keynes and Rushden Lakes.
Bedford Town centre has seen visitors and shoppers drop by nearly 50% over five years (2017–2022) alongside the loss of many retailers.
The drop in visitors and shoppers is reflected in the falling use of the town’s car parks as daily and monthly turnover figures reveal Allhallows and Lurke Street are not half-full most of the time.
Research is showing Rushden Lakes with hours of free car parking and Milton Keynes with 1,000s of 50p per hour parking spaces, are both rebuilding their customer base after COVID and are better prepared to fight back against the current economic downturn.
Conservative Councillor Roger Rigby voiced his group’s deep concerns: “Bedford’s town centre decline cannot be arrested by the current Mayor’s expensive parking charges.
“We need to reverse this decline and get our car parks supporting our towns businesses by increasing free parking while reducing the cost of Multi-Storey Car Park (MSCPs) prices to 50p an hour.
“Sources tell us more retailers will be leaving Bedford in the New Year. The current Mayor’s parking policies are reducing the town centre to a wasteland and driving our residents and shoppers elsewhere.”
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