City of Wolverhampton Council has announced a new parking offer to support the city centre’s night-time businesses.

From today (Wednesday) free car parking will be on offer on Broad Street car park between 5pm and 5am during the busy autumn and festive period.

Broad Street car park is the city centre’s most widely used night-time economy car park - vital to both visitors and workers.

From Monday, January 5 a new flat rate of £2 from 5pm to 5am will be introduced – still a big reduction on current rates.

The evening and night-time economy across the country has been hit hard in recent years due to rising costs, a squeeze on household incomes and changing customer behaviour – making it a challenging time for businesses operating in this sector.

By offering free evening parking initially and transitioning to a reduced flat rate, the pilot aims to contribute towards a growing, more vibrant and welcoming city centre after dark to stimulate the night-time economy, while providing valuable insights to inform the development of a long-term car parking strategy.

It forms part of work under the new City Centre Evening and Night-time Economy Strategy, approved by the council’s Cabinet today.

Councillor Chris Burden, City of Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for City Development, Jobs and Skills, said: “We engaged with businesses, workers and residents, and I hope local people take up this offer and come and support our fantastic night-time businesses.

“The initiative has been directly informed by feedback from public consultation and a wide range of city centre stakeholders.

“It will help drive footfall during what is a challenging time and critical trading period for the hospitality sector.”

The council also confirmed a wider car parking strategy is set to be developed which will include a review of all car park uses and charges across the city centre.