Councillor admits defeat over free parking at Biggleswade Asda as firm refuses to back down

A town councillor has admitted defeat in a dispute over the length of free parking at a Biggleswade supermarket, despite talk of a legal challenge at one stage.

Madeline Russell was involved when talks were first held at a community forum about Asda Stores Limited trading in the town.

The retail company reduced the two-hour free limit at its Church Street car park to an hour-and-a-half last year.

Letters were sent to the firm and to Central Bedfordshire Council expressing the town council’s dissatisfaction with the change.

Councillor Russell said previously: “It’s obvious the firm wants to make money from this, as signs have gone up saying: ‘you can buy longer than an hour-and-a-half, if you want to pay’. This goes back on agreements in place before the store opened.”

The issue was raised at a town council meeting by resident Debbie Fisher, who explained: “I just wanted to give councillors an update on the timings for the Asda car park.

“A couple of weeks ago it was pandemonium in there when a scanner broke. Everyone’s baskets were loaded. We received a fine today. There was just one person on.”

Councillor Russell replied that she had to admit defeat. Mayor Mark Foster, who chairs the town council, asked: “Can we put that on record, councillor Russell?”

She said: “I gave up in the end. It’s obvious Asda isn’t in a very good financial position, since it was taken over. The business has been combined.

“I understand the owners are quite heavily in debt and looking for every penny they can get. I don’t think I’m slandering them. It’s what you read in the financial press.

“I don’t think we’re going to get anywhere with them. The only thing that’s going to have an impact is if they lose custom.

“But it’s understandable that for many people the store is in a useful place in the town centre.”

Councillor Foster, who chairs the town council, added: “It’s very disappointing we end up in this position, bearing in mind the wording of the agreement allowed for about 20 years a different interpretation to what’s been implemented.

“The fact is the company has chosen to interpret it in a different way. We’ve tried virtually everything and written to various people, with CBC also involved.

“Ultimately we sadly have to admit defeat on it, but it’s disappointing.”