CAR parking price wars broke out in Bradford today as a second city centre shopping centre slashed its charges.

Since The Broadway shopping centre drastically cut its parking fees by 70 per cent in March to £3 a day in the week and £1.50 a day at the weekend, stallholders at Kirkgate Market say customers have been steering clear of the Kirkgate Shopping Centre car park - their closest parking.

The Kirkgate parking had for the past two months been out of step with its new rival, charging £10 all day Monday to Saturdays and a comparable £1.50 for the day on Sundays - prices that had been in effect for the past six years.

But bosses at the long-standing shopping centre, which also houses the Bradford Council-run market, have now reviewed their prices and revealed significant cuts - particularly to long-stay and Saturday charges.

The move, which takes effect today, means parking at the Kirkgate is now cheaper than Broadway for short stay, comparable to Broadway for mid-length stays, and only more expensive when it comes to long-stay.

It equates to massive cuts of 60 per cent from £10 to £4 for all-day parking, and from £4.10 to £1.50 on a Saturday for up to four hours of parking.

Stallholder Yvette Hardy, of Hardy's Jewellers, which has been in existence in the Kirkgate Market for 30 years, welcomed the changes, describing it as a "step in the right direction".

"We would have preferred the long-stay charges to be at least the same as The Broadway, but I think these changes will make a positive difference to our trade."

Miss Hardy said her trade had dropped by 70 per cent since The Broadway changed its pricing structure and they were struggling to stay open as a result.

Catherine Riley, centre manager of the Kirkgate Shopping Centre said they had initiated a review of rates in light of "competitive locations" and believed they had come up with the best option through their reduced tariff structure.

She said: "We are very aware of the need to meet the cost expectations of our customer and retailers but there is always a balance to ensure the car park is used foremost by our shoppers and not commuters.

"The tariff is competitive and we will continue to monitor all the options – our new owners are keen to enhance all aspects of the centre - not least the car park, and we can look forward to improvements throughout the centre in the coming months."

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Bradford West MP Naz Shah who had been lobbying the Council on the traders' behalf welcome the cut in price, saying: "I'm really pleased at this decision as some of these traders have been here 30 years and they are saying that they’ve never seen business so bad.

"I will continue to talk to the Council in relation to the top end of town and what other support is available for traders."

Council leader David Green added: "It's a commercial decision taken by the car park operators at both centres. They have obviously decided that volume is better than price. I hope that some of the recent problems identified by traders at the market can be rectified as a result."

And Val Summerscales, secretary of the Bradford Chamber of Trade, said the move was excellent news and obviously an economic decision from the bosses at the Kirkgate.

"The pricing seems appropriate to the type of customers they expect and is a good business decision on behalf of the Kirkgate Centre and their tenants," she added.

The changes follow cuts in prices at The Broadway shopping centre, which when it first opened last November had similar long-stay pricing to The Kirkgate Centre at £10 to park for five hours or more. When their cuts were announced at the beginning of March, it was said to be in response to other car parks adjusting their prices.

A spokesman added at the time: “We’re always working hard to bring more people into the city centre, and we’re confident this move will provide a further boost to Bradford."

A spokesman for The Broadway said it did not wish to comment on this occasion.

Other city centre car parks charge between £2.50 to £4 for the day, particularly for early bird customers.