Blackwood High Street car park, pictured in June 2025 (Image: Google)

A proposal for free Christmas parking in a Welsh county has been voted down due to fears of spaces being "clogged up". The idea for Caerphilly county came from Blackwood councillor Kevin Etheridge, who argued free parking at council car parks from mid-November until early January would encourage shoppers to support high streets.

After learning of a provisional £600,000 underspend in part of last year’s revenue budget, Mr Etheridge suggested the money be used to cover a free Christmas parking policy, similar to that confirmed recently in Newport .

But several councillors, including Caerphilly council's new leader Jamie Pritchard, warned against making spontaneous spending commitments.

He claimed Covid-era free

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