Two hours free parking to be reinstated
Dudley Council’s two hours’ free parking is returning to all council‑owned pay and display car parks from 1 April.
This much‑loved offer is expected to be hugely popular with residents and traders, helping to boost footfall in the town and support local businesses.
To qualify, people must obtain a physical ticket from the machine and clearly display it in their vehicle. Currently the parking app cannot be used for the free 2 hours offer. Should shoppers wish to stay longer than two hours, they’ll need to pay the difference based on the revised standard parking tariffs.
New signage will be installed in car parks from 1st April, showing the reinstated free parking period and the updated tariffs for longer stays. These include (after the free two hours) £3 for stays of up to 3 hours across all council car parks.
For short stay car parks, up to 4 hours costs £5. For long stay car parks, for stays up to 12 hours have a fixed charge of just £6. Overnight parking on all car parks from 7pm to 7am is free.
Councillor Simon Phipps, cabinet member for economy and infrastructure, said:
“We know how important accessible, affordable parking is for our residents and our high streets, and I’m delighted that we are able to reinstate two hours’ free parking across all council‑owned car parks from 1 April, subsidised by Dudley Council.
"Bringing this offer back has been achieved because we have made huge savings over the last year to improve the council's finances, including cutting back-office costs like halving the number of senior managers, saving nearly £1.2m per year.
“We’re keeping things simple, people just need to get a physical ticket from the machine and display it clearly to benefit from the free period. For anyone wanting to stay longer, you can still purchase a ticket at the machine or on the app, whether that’s £3 for up to three hours or £6 for a full day in our long‑stay car parks. New signage will be going up shortly so everyone knows exactly what to expect.”