Ilkley businesses suffer as representative protest against new parking charges

Representatives from Ilkley Town Council, Ilkley Business Improvement District (BID), and Ilkley’s business community staged a protest outside Bradford City Hall yesterday, 10 March 2026, in response to recently implemented parking charges.

The parking changes include the removal of free one-hour parking on most streets and the extension of paid parking until 8pm.

The protest coincided with a Bradford Council meeting at which the proposed 2025/2026 budget was being discussed and was approved, with 48 Councillors voting in favour of it and 37 against. Protest participants included Ali Yazdi of The Unique Barber, Sarah Brookfield-Almond, Manager of Ilkley BID, and Councillors Sean Spence, Andrew Loy, David Nunns and Bob Felstead.

The protesters displayed placards highlighting the impact of the new charges on local businesses and the wider community.

Ilkley BID and Ilkley Town Council have collected feedback on the parking changes through several channels. A parking survey was conducted by Ilkley Town Council and coordinated by Ilkley BID, two drop-in sessions were held at Vitello Lounge, and all BID member businesses were contacted directly via email to provide feedback.

Analysis of the survey responses from 1,600 participants indicated significant impacts on local behaviour and spending. Of those surveyed, 1,163 respondents reported visiting Ilkley less frequently and spending less money in the town. Additionally, 974 respondents, who rely on short trips to support others, stated that they were very negatively affected by the new charges.

Businesses have reported immediate effects on turnover since the charges were introduced:

• An Ilkley jeweller reported a 30% year-on-year decrease in takings.

• An Ilkley takeaway reported a reduction in orders of £600 per week.

• An Ilkley café reported daily sales decreased by £234.

• An Ilkley butcher recorded 256 fewer customers in February.

• An Ilkley restaurant reported weekly trade down by £1,000.

• An Ilkley gift shop reported a 27% drop in sales for February.

  
  

Additional feedback from the parking survey included comments such as:

• “Our patients can’t park as shoppers now take all the spaces,” reported by the Medical Centre.

• “I can’t afford to pay £2 every time I pick up and drop off my children from clubs.”

• “I make multiple short trips into Ilkley as I care for others – paying is unsustainable.”

• “Our car park is clogged with people avoiding parking charges and not shopping with us.”

Sarah Brookfield-Almond, Ilkley BID Manager, said:

“The role of Ilkley BID is to support local businesses and ensure the high street and wider economy continue to thrive. Feedback collected from the community indicates that the new parking charges are having a detrimental effect on the town. For this reason, we are formally protesting the new parking charges and the devastating impact they are having on our local economy, our businesses and our residents.

“These charges aren't just an inconvenience - they are a direct threat to the vitality of our high street. Ilkley deserves a parking system that encourages visitors and supports our local shops. We are here to make sure our community’s voices are heard at the highest level. In the meantime, we will continue to fight to improve the situation as well as promote the current 160 free car parking spaces available.”

Councillor Andrew Loy said via social media:

“Thank you to Ilkley BID and representatives of Ilkley’s business community for coming along to Bradford Council’s budget meeting to represent the town against the recent changes to parking charges. The figures are staggering; takings down 30%, lower footfall and patients struggling to park at the medical centre. We continue to call on Bradford Council to U-turn on this damaging decision.”

Ilkley BID has approached Bradford Council for comment.