Residents, businesses and visitors are being invited to help shape the future of parking services in Westmorland and Furness.
A ‘Community Conversation’ has been launched by Westmorland and Furness Council to gather people’s thoughts on current services in their area - what they like, what they would like to change and what they’d like to see in the future.
It marks the beginning of an important journey to bring together parking services following Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) in 2023, which joined four councils under a single authority.
As varying policies and practices were adopted from former county and district councils, residents and visitor’s experiences can differ across the area. This can range from the types of pay and display machines in car parks to the types of parking permits that are available.
Using feedback shared as a part of this conversation, the Council will take a fresh look at its parking services. Services will be reshaped to ensure a fair, efficient, and consistent approach that supports the needs of the area’s economy and our local communities.
Councillor Peter Thornton, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport said:
"Our parking review is about making sure that parking services work for everyone, whether you live here, work here or are just visiting. We want to hear your views on what's working, what could be improved, and how we can develop the service. This is a real opportunity for people to help shape the future of services across Westmorland and Furness."
People can get involved in the conversation Monday 16 June until the end of Friday 18 July 2025 by completing:
- The online Parking Review Community Conversation
- A paper copy available at Westmorland and Furness Council Libraries, Local Links and Public Buildings.
In the lead-up to the launch of the community conversation, the parking team has been engaging with organisations, businesses, and community groups to gain a broad understanding of how parking affects different people.
Continuing the engagement, the team will be out and about visiting the following locations to speak with residents and visitors about the parking review:
- Barrow town centre
- Kendal town centre
- Penrith town centre.
As a new authority, Westmorland and Furness Council is committed to improving and harmonising many of its services, to ultimately ensure that services are all delivered in the same way, and to the same consistent standard across the whole of the authority area.