Plans to stop free parking in the evenings and at weekends in Wickford have been scrapped, after public outcry sparked a council u-turn. And the same could be happening in Billericay.

In a seven day twist in decision making Basildon Council has thrown out its own plans to scrap free parking in Wickford. The council now says there is money available despite planning to cut the service in the latest budget. The council could review its plan to scrap free parking in Billericay soon too.

The saga began earlier this months when residents reacted to the borough council's plans to introduce charging.

A petition was launched as the plans sparked fury from the public and opposition councillors who feared it would hit businesses hard and draw customers and residents away.

An angry resident, Rachel Voller, launched the petition said this is "shambolic" and "due to residents protest."

The petition quickly gathered support but Basildon Council leader Cllr Gavin Callaghan reacted by saying the responsibility to stop charging lay with Wickford and Billericay town councils. He said the council had funded them to work for their communities and both had hundreds of thousands in reserves in the bank.

However, now Cllr Callaghan says the council has changed its opinions and parking in the towns will remain free and funded by Basildon Council. But he denies it is a U-turn, a claim laughed off by Mrs Voller.

The self confessed 'Mrs Wickford' said: "I'm so glad I started the petition which has more than demonstrated the level of concern and protest over the withdrawal of free parking. The petition is still open at growing daily, currently at 4044, which will continue to give Billericay the leverage it needs to ensure free parking is reinstated there too.

"It is unbelievable that Cllr Gavin Callaghan and Cllr Aidan McGurran are denying this is a u-turn when it clearly is due to residents' protest. I have also found the whole process to get to this result shambolic.

"We are against proposals made by Cllr McGurran to pursue additional funding to increase the number of hours free from our town councils. This is not an appropriate use of their funding which is committed to key projects and initiatives to further support our town and will not be supported by residents.

"Both Billericay and Wickford have good local offerings and great communities and our high streets survival is under threat, facing challenges from high business rates and rent and changes to buying habits. We need support from our local councillors, Basildon Council and residents to ensure we can all keep it local. I hope the leverage of the petition will secure a good outcome for Billericay too."

Cllr McGurran explained: "We recognise parking has become a sensitive issue, and we must tackle it pragmatically. Our goal is to meet the needs of residents, visitors, and businesses while keeping our budget manageable.

"This year, we are tasked with finding £2.9 million in savings after last year's £6 million in-year savings. While these decisions are challenging, they are crucial to safeguard essential services and allow us to prioritise key projects, such as the £2 million investment to reinstate our weekly bin collections."

"The area committees and town councils have access to a pool of over £1 million in taxpayer funds, which could be used to support this initiative. Since car parking is a discretionary service rather than a statutory requirement, we must explore alternative funding sources."