TRADERS have hit out at proposals to scrap free festive parking as Gwynedd Council battles to fill a £13m financial black hole.

Like several Welsh councils, Gwynedd offers free parking in the county’s public car parks during the run up to Christmas.

Last month, the ticket machines were out of action between 15 and 26 December to encourage local shoppers to support the county’s high streets instead of travelling further afield.

But in a bid to help make up a £12.9m budget gap for 2019/20, scrapping the free parking scheme is one of the measures being proposed.

Council officers have calculated that the scheme leads to an average loss in parking income of £45,000 a year, but say they will consult with the public before a final decision is made on the 2019/20 budget.

Reacting to the proposal, Paula Leslie who runs Y Bocs Teganau toy shop in Porthmadog, feels that the scheme should be extended further rather than be scrapped completely.

“In my view, getting rid of the free parking would be a disaster,” she said.

“While we welcome anything that helps the high street, I’ve always felt it would be beneficial to run the scheme for a month as many people start their Christmas shopping sooner rather than later.

“Its incredibly hard to run a business these days. We’re competing against out of town developments which all offer free parking.

“You only need to look at how many shops have shut in Porthmadog over the past few years; all of them represent a loss in business rates so it’s a false economy not to offer more support.

“The council makes plenty of money from parking charges at Morfa Bychan, it’s only right that they give something back, in my view.”

Normal parking charges vary across the county, usually starting from £1 an hour.

Launching last year’s scheme, environment Cabinet member Cllr Dafydd Meurig said that business owners had made it clear that the free Christmas parking scheme was of “huge benefit” to them every year.

But officers have admitted that difficult decisions lie ahead, with the council leader having criticised the Welsh Government following another poor funding settlement for 2019/20.

Among the other ideas being considered are charging a fee for resupplying bins that have been damaged, increasing council tax by 5.5 per cent, hiking crematorium fees from £520 to £550 and issuing penalties on contractors who fail to comply with legislation when working on the county’s roads.

A Gwynedd Council spokesman said: “Due to the cut in funding Gwynedd receives from the government and the increasing cost of providing local services, the council will face a financial gap of approximately £13m in 2019/20.

“As part of the efforts to bridge this funding gap, the council will be implementing savings and reducing back-office costs. Despite this, the council will still need to address a gap of £4.8m and the authority will be considering how to implement further savings along with the possibility of raising council tax.

“Before councillors make a decision on the way forward at the full council in March, the authority will be carrying out a public consultation in January which will offer residents an opportunity to have their say on 65 detailed proposals to help bridge the funding gap.

“Details about the consultation will be published early in the new year.”