Council to continue taking cash parking payments

Plans to scrap cash parking payments at council-run car parks in Wakefield have been ruled out.

The idea of switching to accepting only cashless payments at sites across the district had been considered in a report commissioned by the authority.

The document, published last week, said the council had to pay £140,000 to repair its pay and display machines during the last financial year.

Some of the cost was due to machines being vandalised or targeted by thieves.

Setting out the pros and cons of ditching cash payments, the report said the possible reduction in vandalism would cut repair costs and resolve instances of lost income while machines are out of use.

However, it said it recognised that switching to cashless payments could exclude drivers who did not have bank cards or smart phones.

Matthew Morley, the council's cabinet member planning and highways, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "Cashless payments is not something we want to move forward to.

"People should always have that choice to be able to use cash.

"I don't think cash is ever going to go away completely. There needs to be a choice."

The council operates 92 machines at 73 on and off-street car parks across the district.

Morley said a procurement process had begun to get new ticket machines installed across the district.

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