RESIDENTS and visitors are being encouraged to shop locally this festive season as Cornwall Council offers one day’s free parking in paid-for car parks across the county.

Residents will be able to park for free locally on one day selected by their town or parish council to support trading in town centres.

Cornwall Council wrote to town and parish councils to offer the initiative. Following requests, dozens of Cornwall Council run car parks, which usually charge for parking, will be free for one day.

Many town and parish councils selected Saturday, December 2 as their free parking day to coincide with the annual Small Business Saturday — a national initiative that has been running for the past three years.

These included car parks in Launceston — Castle Street, Cattle Market Long Stay, Cattle Market Short Stay, Pannier Market, Walk House; Callington — New Road North, New Road South; Port Isaac — New Road.

In addition, Launceston’s multistory car park on Westgate Street, which is run by the town council, will be free to park in every Saturday in December.

Other towns have chosen their date to encourage people to come along to festive events they already had planned.

In Bude, the following Cornwall Council car parks will be free on Saturday, December 16 — Crooklets, Post Office, Summerleaze, The Crescent, The Wharf. The car park at Widemouth Bay is listed as being free on Tuesday, December 26, Boxing Day.

All Cornwall Council car parks are clearly branded and the council will be displaying posters about the parking offer at the charging points on the day when parking is free.

Council leader Adam Paynter, Liberal Democrat ward member for Launceston North and North Petherwin, said: “Cornwall’s towns are great places to visit during the festive season and we’re proud to support our local economies by offering free parking in the busy build-up to Christmas. Not only does this mean people can take their time shopping, it also means people can spend more time in cafes and restaurants. You don’t get that experience shopping online.”

Council’s cabinet member for transport Geoff Brown said: “We’ve offered a day’s free parking before — which is all about getting people to shop locally and support local businesses during the festive period. We have some fantastic shops across Cornwall and we want to make sure that people have plenty of time to browse and enjoy them.”