It may be four months before Christmas is upon us, but one local authority is already looking ahead at ways to bring festive shoppers into the town centre.
Moray Council has confirmed the return of its Free After 3 scheme, allowing drivers to park in Elgin’s St Giles multi-storey car park for free after 3pm.
The offer will run from the Christmas lights switch-on ceremony to the first Saturday in January.
This is the seventh consecutive year the local authority has run Free After 3, but council leader Grahem Leadbitter said it is needed now “more than ever” due to the challenges facing retail after coronavirus restrictions have been eased.
It is hoped more people will be encouraged to look around the town centre for their Christmas gifts, supporting local businesses as they recover from 15 months of the pandemic.
Mr Leadbitter, who is chairman of the council’s economic growth committee,, said: “Free after 3 has been received very positively in past years by businesses and customers alike.
“I am pleased that councillors have backed the use of the scheme once again and also backed the use of the scheme in future years.
“This year, more than ever, we need to do what we can to support businesses.
“Christmas will be hugely important to get retailers into a better place after all the challenges of the past 18 months and the Free after 3 parking scheme over the festive period will help to support that.”