On-street parking increases for Calderdale drivers have been delayed until 2015.

And new charges for 10 free car parks in Calderdale will be delayed until next year.

It means shoppers will benefit from cheaper parking before Christmas after Calderdale Council put its plans on hold.

The authority had recently said new fees would be in place by mid-November, but the new charges for free car parks will not come into force until January.

And on-street increases also due will be delayed until April 2015.

Clr Barry Collins, Cabinet Member for Economy and Environment, said: “The Government is optimistic that the economy is picking up, but says there is still some way to go to reach pre-recession levels.

“With this in mind, we’ve decided not to increase parking charges across the borough until 2015, when hopefully our towns and villages will have fully recovered from the recession.”

Residents and visitors can still park for free in 10 currently free car parks, including the Brig Royd at West Vale; Royd Lane in Ripponden and Church Lane, Mill Lane and Bank Street in Brighouse.

Clr Barry Collins
Clr Barry Collins

Increases in on and off-street parking were due to come into force by April next year, but the proposal is delayed until April 2015.

However, plans for new charging areas in the Skircoat area around Calderdale Royal Hospital, Halifax, will still go ahead.

Geoff Willerton, the council’s Head of Planning and Highways, said: “The Skircoat parking scheme has been a very long and complex process.

“Uncontrolled parking around the hospital has been a long-standing problem, and increasing concern from local people led them to call on the council for improvements.

“It was essential for us to understand and take into account residents’ views, so we carried out nearly a year of detailed consultation and negotiation with them to make sure we got the scheme right.

“This, and recent junction improvement works in the area, has pushed back the entire programme of parking changes”.