Rotherham: Town centre parking now FREE for an hour as council hopes to give boost to local businesses

As part of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council’s latest budget they have put aside £50,000 to offer one hour of free parking in council-operated car parks in the town centre between Monday and Friday.

It is hoped this latest effort will support local businesses, boost footfall and encourage residents to shop locally.

Anyone wishing to use these free facilities still needs to get a ticket from the machine.

The car parks included in the initiative are:

• Drummond Street
• Wellgate multi-storey
• Wellgate North
• Scala
• Unity Place
• Clifton Hall
• Douglas Street
• Bailey House 3
• Westgate
• The Statues
• Forge Island

The one-hour free parking is in addition to free parking already available on a weekend in council-owned off-street car parks in Rotherham town centre, with no ticket required.

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It’s the latest in a series of developments to rejuvenate the town centre, following the £47m investment into Forge Island which brough a cinema to the town, as well as a Travelodge and Vetro Lounge with another new restaurant, Sygnature Dish, set to open its doors this summer.

The council committed a further £570,000 investment as part of its budget to launch a new ‘Street Safe Team’ focused on improving public safety by tackling issues such as anti-social behaviour and littering.

Councillor John Williams, cabinet member for Transport, Jobs and the Local Economy, said: “Our introduction of one hour of free parking is another practical step to support our town centre businesses. Anyone needing to nip to the bank, market or into a shop can now do so without worrying about paying, so long as they display a ticket.

“The free parking initiative underlines our focus on delivering a vibrant, safe, and welcoming town centre experience for all.”