Beauty spot parking charges plan scrapped

Plans to charge motorists to park their vehicles at beauty spots across Worcestershire have been scrapped.

In a bid to bring in £90,000 across the 2026/27 financial year, the county council set out proposals to start charging for parking at sites including Worcester Woods Countryside Centre.

However, cabinet members have made a U-turn following a backlash from councillors and members of the public.

A petition to keep car parks free of charge has amassed more than 6,000 signatures.

Along with Worcester Woods, Hartlebury Common, Blackstone picnic place, Pershore Bridges picnic place and Eckington Wharf were among the car parks set to be impacted by the plans.

The overview and scrutiny performance board (OSPB) welcomed the move as the proposals had caused "a significant amount of public unrest".

"Even though every thousand pounds make a difference, this would have been a mistake at this time," OSPB chairman Tom Wells.

Reform UK cabinet member Justin Bowen said the local authority plans to move forward with a Labour's Richard Udall's suggestion to increase revenue at Worcester Woods by hosting events such as weddings, concerts and car boot sales.

Mary Sinclair, a car park user, told BBC Hereford and Worcester: "I would consider somewhere like Worcester Woods which has got such good amenities, the cafe and the playground, you could possibly introduce something there.

"But I think people wouldn't be very happy with places like Hartlebury Common, where they may come every day with their dogs, it could add quite considerably to your budget."

Sue, who also spoke to the BBC, said: "It's good that it's free because there aren't many car parks that are free in Worcestershire.

"There are a lot of older people that use it and pensioners are being hit at every angle, but I understand the council needs to recoup money somehow."

In 2018, Worcestershire's then Conservative administration signed off on plans to introduce charges at Worcester Woods, but withdrew the proposal from its 2019 budget following a similar public outcry.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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