NEW parking restrictions in Ilkley would be the "death of the area" according to a councillor.

Councillor Jackie Whiteley (Cons, Wharfedale) hit out at recently approved plans to introduce residents' parking zones and on street parking in the town during a meeting of Bradford Council on Tuesday.

The Conservatives had raised a motion at the meeting calling for parking charges across the district to be scrapped.

Councillor Alex Ross Shaw, executive for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said free parking was not the main “driver of footfall” in town and city centres. He added: “Would free parking actually encourage more people into the city centre, or just shuffle people around?

“There is no such thing as free parking. If charges were scrapped there would be a black hole in our finances of £2 million which would have to be filled by business rate payers. We would also still need to staff these car parks. Free parking won’t attract more people to some areas, because there won’t be any free parking spaces for them.”

Councillor David Green (Lab, Wibsey) said: “I’m responsible for introducing car parking charges in the city centre.

“The aim was to stop people who work in the city centre parking in spaces at 7.30am and clogging up that space until 6pm. This can cause a huge problem for people who need people to be able to park to visit their business. Otherwise you have people parking in spaces 24/7.

“The real thing that will bring people into town and city centres is having an offer that people will wish to go to.”

He pointed out that parking in Bradford was vastly cheaper than parking in neighbouring cities like Leeds.

Discussing the Ilkley charges, Councillor Whiteley said: “The lowest paid workers will be hardest hit. I was talking to a young man who works in Betty’s and he said if he couldn’t find a free space to park then he would stop going to work.

Cllr Ross Shaw said it was difficult for shoppers in Ilkley to find a space to park, and the changes would try to solve that.”

Cllr Whiteley said: "People working in Ilkley's shops won't be able to get to work because they won't be able to afford to park. A lot of people in the town will go out of business. On your head be it when the town becomes filled with charity shops. This will be the death of the area. It's a great shame you're not listening to businesses."

Labour introduced an amended motion, saying parking charges in Bradford were among the cheapest in the UK, and to focus on the regeneration of the city centre and the district’s towns and villages.