NEWS that Newport council's largest car park is set to close casts doubts on the council's estimates that axing free parking will save it £1million.

Cabinet member for infrastructure Ken Critchley has maintained his stance throughout our campaign to "Keep City Parking Free" describing the council scheme to allow shoppers to park for the first two hours free in its car parks as "unsustainable."

In his sole statement on the issue since he single-handedly made the decision to axe the hugely popular scheme, Cllr Critchley said: "Free parking costs the council almost £1 million a year which is no longer sustainable at a time when central budgets are facing significant cuts and we face a funding gap next year of £8 million.

"To continue to offer free parking would adversely impact on other services such as street cleaning, waste collection and road repairs."

But as we have already reported, the council is highly unlikely to recoup anywhere close to that amount in lost revenue, given the new £1 for three hours charge is cheaper than under the system prior to free parking being introduced and the fact the council's own figures suggested the sum was far closer to £700,000.

And Friday's confirmation that the 500 space Cambrian multi-storey is set to close to allow Scarborough Development Group to begin work on the new seven-storey office and shopping redevelopment, casts yet more doubt on the figure.