New Sunderland City Council urged to restore free parking after 3pm to support business
Council bosses are being urged to restore free parking in all city centre car parks after 3pm in a bid to help traders.
Sunderland City Council’s Wearside Liberal Democrats have tabled a motion for the first ordinary full council meeting of 2026-27 to look at a raft of revised parking initiatives across the city.
The motion, entitled “Fairer Parking on Wearside”, asks the new Reform UK-led authority to agree that a “fairer and more attractive parking offer is needed to better support businesses in the city centre, sea front and in town centres across the city”.
It urges the council cabinet to “investigate proposals to re-introduce free after 3pm parking in all city centre car parks, or a similar offer, to help city centre businesses compete with out-of-town retail parks”.
Revised proposals meant that multi-storey car parks including St Mary’s and Sunniside would not be free at any time although the initiative continued at smaller car parks elsewhere in the city.
Other requests, outlined in the motion, include “ensuring people can, wherever possible, easily pay for parking including using cash or contactless and without being forced to use smart phone apps”.
Ciaran Morrissey, a Lib Dem campaigner for Hendon, Millfield and the city Centre, said: “Now there is a new Council in place, we are calling on them to bring back this popular and essential free parking scheme in all city centre car parks to give our local businesses the shot in the arm they desperately need.
“It is also time for the new Sunderland Council leadership to do the right thing and end rip-off parking fees and ensure sure people can pay by both cash and card.
The motion also asks for a report to be brought back to full council within six months to “detail progress on implementing the recommendations of this motion"
It is scheduled to be discussed at full council meeting at City Hall on Wednesday, June 24, beginning at 4pm