Shoppers and town centre traders are set to benefit from wide-ranging changes to car parking in Selby.
An hour of free parking is to be introduced in town as part of an effort to promote shopping with local businesses.
Motorists that wish to park for longer will continue to pay standard parking rates that have remained frozen since 2011.
The scheme is being introduced by Selby District Council after the idea, a long-time demand of town centre traders, was supported by its members during this weeks Full Council meeting.
In Tadcaster, where parking has traditionally been without charge, the ambition is two hours' free parking followed by low charges for longer stays.
Introducing new charges there will, says the council, help to increase the 'churn' of vehicles using car parks for shopping, rather than parking up and commuting out of town.
The District Council's Executive member with responsibility for communities and economic development, Cllr Chris Metcalfe, explained, "In coming up with our new approach we've listened to what traders and people living in both Selby and Tadcaster want. In particular we've responded to the concerns of Tadcaster retailers who feel that an additional hour of free parking is required for the town, to help a more fragile local economy still recovering from the floods of 2015.
"Free parking in both Selby and Tadcaster will be a real boost for the towns, and the changes in Tadcaster will help to increase the number of people using local services."
Alongside these changes, £900,000 has been earmarked for investment over the next three years to improve car park surfacing, provide new spaces for motorbikes, improve signage and information points, improve lighting and to install brand new electric car charging points. This new investment will ensure that the district's car parks are able to support town centres for many years to come.
