‘Dim streetlights by 50% and charge motorists at free car parks’ as council budget cuts bite

Street lights across Bury could be dimmed by 50 per cent in a bid to cut council costs, alongside the introduction of charges at up to 40 free car parks.

Bury Council will conduct a review to see if district charges can be implemented without adversely impacting vibrancy in the towns of Prestwich, Radcliffe, Whitefield, Tottington and Ramsbottom.

A flat rate charge of £2 per visit has been suggested in a paper to be put before the council’s Labour leadership next week. Other cost-cutting measures to be put before Bury Council’s cabinet include dimming most of the borough’s street lights by 50 per cent to save money, and cutting some senior roles within the authority through redundancy and early retirement.

Bury Council currently operate around 40 free car parks in the borough. Around 40 per cent of the spaces are in Prestwich at Fairfax Road and The Longfield Centre. The Fairfax car park is currently being redeveloped into a large multi-storey car park and the Longfield centre area is earmarked for residential apartment blocks as part of a later phase of the town’s current redevelopment.

Bury Council currently lists 40 free car parks under its control. There are 14 council car parks in Radcliffe, nine in Prestwich, eight in Ramsbottom, six in Bury outside the town centre, two in Tottington and single one in Whitefield
at Lily Hill Street.

It is understood the review of district car parking will only aim to introduce charges where it is ‘commercially viable’. 21 of the council car parks listed have 20 spaces or fewer.

The report on the potential introduction of charges said: “A strategic review of all parking services controlled district car parks will be commissioned to assess the viability and likely consequences of