Backlash as town's car parks to go cashless

People have raised concerns over an "absurd" decision to make a town's council-run car parks cashless.

Swindon Borough Council is set to terminate cash payments throughout all 20 of its sites by the end of 2026, with motorists required to pay via contactless, card or an app.

Councillor Chris Watts said the decision would hopefully reduce theft, vandalism and the "expensive and time-consuming process of cash handling".

But resident Jeremy Flutter, who does not have a smartphone, called the decision "absurd" and said cash is the "ultimate fallback".

Martin Quinn, from the group Campaign for Cash, warned elderly people and the poorest in society will lose out.

"Those on low incomes and the poorest in society don't have access to smartphones and don't necessarily have credit and debit cards," he said.

Another resident Victoria Coleiro said she liked having multiple options for paying.

"I think it's always good to have the option of both. If I've got cash on me, I'll put cash in, if I haven't, I'll use the card, she said.

The cashless development is a trend mirrored across the county as some shops are now urging people to pay with card where possible.

Three of the Swindon's central car parks have been cashless since 2020, including Brunel North, Fleming Way and Whalebridge.

Handling cash from car parks is "an expensive and time-consuming process" according to Watts, the council's cabinet member for transport.

He added: "There's currently a real mish-mash of car parks across the borough and there's no uniform technology in place.

"This work will also help reduce the amount of vandalism and theft we've seen at our ticket machines."

Work to make all the sites cashless is due to be completed by the end of August.

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