FREE Car Parking May 19th

Cornwall Council agrees to provide free parking on 19 May to support Olympic Flame celebrations

Cornwall Council has announced that it is to provide free parking in all its car parks on Saturday, 19 May to support local communities in their celebrations to mark the historic journey of the Olympic Flame through Cornwall .

Council Leader Alec Robertson said that as this was a unique once in a lifetime opportunity, he wanted the Council to play its part in supporting the numerous events taking place in communities across Cornwall.

“This is a hugely important day for Cornwall as we will be in the spotlight for both the arrival of the Olympic Flame and the first day of the Olympic Torch Relay” he said.

“The Olympic and Paralympic Games is the biggest event in the world and we want as many people as possible to get involved by taking part in local events and lining the streets to cheer the Olympic Flame on its journey through Cornwall.  The Olympic Torch Relay is a Cornwall wide event and we want every single community, both on and off the route, to be involved.

“The aim of providing free parking is to help encourage those who do not live in the communities along the route to come and join in the fun.  Although our budget, like those of other local authorities is under pressure, the prudent way we have managed our finances means that we can meet the costs of this without impacting on other services.  The funding will come from the Leader’s contingency budget. ”.

“I know that a number of communities along the route have already decided to offer free parking in the car parks they run and I would like to encourage other car park operators to follow our example and waive charges on this exciting day for Cornwall”.