Cheaper off-peak parking in Happy Valley town

Parking charges on some central streets in tourist hotspot Hebden Bridge - where popular BBC drama Happy Valley was filmed and set - are to be reduced from February.

Calderdale Council has confirmed reductions would apply during off-peak hours between 08:00 and 10:00 and from16:00 to 20:00.

The exact streets included in the scheme have not yet been confirmed but the cost to park during these hours will be half the current charge - 50p for up to 30 minutes, and £1 for up to an hour.

The decision to lower fees follows a move last year to increase parking costs.

Last April, just weeks after the council brought in a number of increases, many business owners and residents signed a petition in opposition to the policy.

The on-street parking spaces were described as "premium" by the authority, the reason given for the previous rise.

A notice to change the fees is expected to be advertised later this month, which will confirm the exact start date for the changes, a council spokesperson said.

Keith Butterick, Mayor of Hebden Royd Town Council, said the organisation had campaigned to get parking costs reduced and he was delighted it had "secured a positive outcome. "

He added: "This demonstrates that a constructive partnership between town and district councillors can produce beneficial results for the community."

Calderdale Council said the reduction had been brought in in recognition of people parking on the streets for short visits to the town, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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