Free car parking offered in run-up to Christmas

Free parking will be available in the countdown to Christmas at council-owned car parks in two boroughs of Nottinghamshire.

Bassetlaw District Council has announced parking will be free after 13:00 GMT each day in Retford and Worksop, from Saturday 28 November to Monday 4 January.

Visitors can also use Queen Street car park in Worksop and West Street car park in Retford free for one hour at any time of day, Monday to Saturday, the authority said.

Broxtowe Borough Council said drivers could park for free for up to three hours in its car parks during December.

Drivers will still need to obtain a valid ticket from parking ticket machines in Broxtowe, or on the PayByPhone app, which will issue free tickets for the first three hours, with normal charges applying after this period.

Councillor Greg Marshall, portfolio holder for resources and personnel at Broxtowe Borough Council, said: "We've extended the initiative to cover the entire month of December.

"The aim is to give high street businesses that little extra boost this Christmas, but also to save an extra few pounds and pennies in the pockets of visitors."

The free afternoon parking in Worksop and Retford will coincide with the Christmas lights switch-on events in the towns.

Councillor Alan Rhodes, cabinet member for corporate and financial services at Bassetlaw District Council, said: "We recognise that this is an incredibly important time for local businesses and our high streets, and we hope that this will entice more people to shop local this Christmas."

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