Controversial plans for new charges for 22 free car parks in Wirral are understood to have been pushed back in an “unexpected Christmas gift for shoppers.”

In September 2024, the local authority announced a plan to see charges introduced at 22 car parks and on roads in three coastal areas where they are currently free. These proposals were later approved by Labour and Green councillors despite major public opposition.

The council has repeatedly said the changes are in line with a policy that was unanimously approved by all parties in 2023 and plugs a gap in its parking budget. The council’s parking policy said it can apply standardised parking charges across the borough as well as the ability to introduce traffic regulations where required.

placeholder image — All Port lane car park | Ed Barnes/LDRS

However no timeline has been given on when the charges will be introduced. A council report in July had suggested the charges would be brought in from September.

The local authority has previously been criticised by the government for how much the issue has gone back and forth within the council. The last proposed charges were dropped in 2022 after the council was threatened with legal action.

It’s understood another legal letter has been sent to the local authority by Wilkie Leisure Group, the firm that operates the Adventureland in New Brighton. Dave Wilkie previously told the LDRS: “I have done it because it’s the right thing but it’s costing me an absolute fortune.”

Now Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Phil Gilchrist said there have been further delays in ordering the new parking meters needed for when charges are brought in. He previously provided to the LDRS how much the council was expecting to make from each car park.

He added: “As I see it there is no way the meters will be in and collecting money till January at the earliest. This is a breathing space and an unexpected Christmas gift for shoppers and traders.”

Cllr Gilchrist, who has consistently lobbied against the new charges, said: “I haven’t dropped my concerns about this one. I hope that in time the more people recognise it’s not the pot of gold it might be.

“With the delays and the pot of gold not materialising, it gives people a chance to rethink about the concerns that people have. The question is, are people willing to do so?”

Going forward, Cllr Gilchrist said the council needed to look at the issue very carefully, especially if legal action is being taken. While he understood the cash-strapped council needs to balance the books next year, he argued the negatives of the parking charges far outweigh any potential positives.

Wirral Council was approached for comment.