Short-term car parking charges will be suspended in Biddulph in August, councillors confirmed last night (Tuesday).

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council made the decision to allow free parking in the town for the month in an effort to attract shoppers back to Biddulph's High Street following the Coronavirus pandemic.

Biddulph's mayor, Cllr John Jones, announced the decision at a Biddulph Town Council meeting yesterday, saying that any parking in the town for under three hours would be free from 1st of August until the end of the month.

However, any stays of over three hours must still be paid for.

Cllr Jones explained that free parking had been chosen for August in order to give the district council time to recalibrate the parking machines, and that the decision would be reviewed in the third week of August while the council decided what to do next.

At last night's meeting, town councillors welcomed the decision, with some suggested that free parking should be allowed permanently.

Cllr Wayne Rogers said: "That's the best news for the High Street I've heard in a long time. I've worked on the High Street for 46 years, and I know that people have been asking for this for many years. I'd like it to continue indefinitely, not just for August."

Cllr Kevin Jackson also suggested that data should be collected to show the benefits of free parking to the High Street.

He said: "We should use this time productively and take an in-depth survey to see what sort of traffic there is on the car park, and to make a note of what on-street parking is like in the town.

"For a number of years a lot of councillors in Biddulph have objected to parking charges, so we could go to the district council and show them if it's made a difference to shopping in town, and whether parking charges are having an adverse effect."

Cllr Jones added: "If shopping is significantly better, there should be an option to extend free parking, so I think we should make sure to do this to show the benefits of it."