The Evening Press in York has scored a major campaign victory with councillors set to make a spectacular turnaround over controversial parking charges.

The paper launched its Stop the Highway Robbery campaign in July amid growing concern about the impact of hefty new evening parking fees and yellow lines.

The article unleashed a pent-up storm of protest against the charges and restrictions from organisations ranging from pubs, restaurants, theatres and shops to churches, charities, trades unions and operatic societies.

Even Dick Turpin decided the charges were one highway robbery too far and joined in a mass-lobby of councillors before a meeting of City of York Council.

Day after day, the paper ran story after story exposing the devastating impact of charges on the evening economy.

An Evening Press petition collected almost 6,500 signatures in just two months.

Now, following a comprehensive review by officers, councillors are being urged to slash evening charges, consider removing yellow lines from a dozen city centre streets, bring in a late-night Park & Ride service and offer special concessions to charities such as the Samaritans, whose volunteers were badly affected by the charges and yellow lines.

The paper declared in a page one comment that the changes went a long way down the road to meeting residents’ and businesses’ concerns after the council had made an expensive mistake.

Editor Kevin Booth said: ” I am convinced that York would have been stuck with these ridiculous charges had the Evening Press not launched Stop the Highway Robbery.

“This has shown how a newspaper campaign can make a real difference when it addresses and relentlessly pursues an issue so close to the hearts of its readers.”

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