Free Christmas parking proposal in Mayo county town not clearcut

A call has been made to introduce some free hours of parking in local authority car parks in Castlebar on the run-up to Christmas.

Councillor Ger Deere has tabled a motion for consideration at Wednesday's meeting of the Castlebar Municipal District,

However, Marie Crowley, head of Castlebar Municipal District, has pointed out the members agreed previously that rather than provide free parking, they would give financial support to the Castlebar of Chamber Commerce-led initiatives.

“This has been given effect in previous years and also in 2019 through their support of the ice rink on the Mall."

However, shoppers in both Claremorris and Ballinrobe can enjoy free parking in the afternoons from this Friday.

Mayo County Council has confirmed that parking on the streets and in the council car parks in both towns will be free, from 2 p.m. each afternoon from this Friday, December 13, until Christmas Eve.

The move is aimed at encouraging people to shop local in the run-up to Christmas.