North Northamptonshire Council fails to deny new parking charges as new strategy announced
North Northants Council (NNC) has failed to deny claims that new parking charges could be introduced in towns like Wellingborough and Rushden, as the Labour group has launched a petition to demand the council keep it free.
MP for Wellingborough and Rushden Gen Kitchen recently posted on her public Facebook page that she had been out speaking to residents with the local Labour group and collecting signatures for their petition to keep free parking within the constituency.
After seeing news of the petition, the LDRS put questions to NNC to ask if there are any plans to introduce parking fees to any council car parks which are currently free of charge, and if so, to disclose the sites that would be affected.
The council did not confirm or deny whether there are any plans to introduce new charges or increase them in areas where parking charges are already in place.
It instead announced that a new draft car parking strategy for the whole of North Northamptonshire would be going to the executive next month, and that ‘no final decisions’ have been made around changing or introducing fees.
The Labour MP told the LDRS: “The fact that free parking in Wellingborough and Rushden is even up for debate is of great concern to me and I know it is for many of my constituents.
"You cannot claim to support our town centres while considering ending free parking.
“The Reform-led council should be doing all it can to support our local businesses and if you want residents to shop locally, you don’t start by removing parking.
“The local Labour team have started a petition to demand that the council keeps free parking to protect our high streets.
"We will do all we can to fight any charges that put our town centres at risk and cost our residents more.”
Cllr Chris Ashton, deputy leader of the Labour group on Wellingborough Town Council, added: “It has been good to be out on the doorstep hearing just how important free parking is to residents.
“Many people work and live on our high streets and a removal of free parking will make their lives needlessly more difficult.”
Currently, free car parking is available across all council-owned and managed Wellingborough town centre spaces, unlike in neighbouring towns Kettering and Corby, where charges already apply.
In September last year, the town council supported a motion which reiterated its support to defend free parking in the town and wrote to the leadership of NNC to express the urgency of retaining free car parking in Wellingborough.
The motion was created in response to a public consultation launched by the unitary authority in the same month, which asked residents for feedback on how it manages its car parking assets.
The survey said that there were several different pricing tariffs and payment options in place across its car parks, ‘which will ultimately be harmonised, where possible’.
Cllr David Baker, who represents residents in the Victoria ward on NNC, said: “Residents in Wellingborough are already digesting the fact that the Reform NNC executive took the decision earlier this month to prepare to market Jackson’s Lane car park for sale.
“It would be another affront to residents if the Reform NNC executive is now going to consider the removal of free parking in the town.
"Residents in my ward have already approached me to express concern that this is even up for discussion.”
In response to questions from the LDRS, an NNC spokesman said: “A report is due to the council’s executive in March 2026, which will seek approval to go out to consultation on a new draft car parking strategy for the whole of North Northamptonshire.
“All proposals in the draft will be subject to a consultation which will launch after the March executive meeting and residents should be assured that currently no final decisions have been made around changing or introducing parking charges.”
It added that the draft car parking strategy will be published one week before the exec meeting, which is set to take place at 10am on Tuesday, March 17.