Three-day Christmas break for shoppers as Haringey Council lifts pay and display charges

Haringey shoppers will get a three-day run of free parking in the run-up to Christmas, the council has revealed, less than 48 hours after snubbing a call to lower charges and help ailing businesses.

Haringey Council will not charge drivers parking in the borough’s car parks and pay and display bays on Saturday, December 22 and Monday 24, making a three-day run into Christmas as Sundays are already free.

But parking wardens will still be out in force patrolling restrictions that still apply - resident-only bays, shared-use bays, double-yellow lines, zig-zags and footpaths.

The news comes despite the Labour adminstration refusing to bow to pressure at Monday night’s full council meeting to reduce pay and display charges.

A huge 5,200-strong petition from Muswell Hill trader Chris Ostwald was handed to them calling for the current �3 per hour charge to be cut as it was hurting businesses. The charges were increased in Muswell Hill and Crouch End from �1.40 per hour in April 2011.

Cllr Nilgun Canver, cabinet member for the environment, said: “We know times are tough for traders and people have a lot of bulky shopping to pick up for Christmas, so I hope this free parking will help attract shoppers to their local high street.

“We’re announcing this now to give people time to order their turkeys or presents from high street shops, or look at what else is on offer locally for them to order and collect nearer to Christmas.”