THE lack of long-stay parking places in Hexham is being dealt with by Northumberland County Council.

Fifty free long-stay car parking spaces have been provided on land at the former fire station at Tyne Mills.

And the county council is also assessing sites in the town

It is hoped that the new all-day spaces could free up some of the sought after long-stay spaces at Hexham’s Wentworth car park.

The issue was discussed at the first Tynedale Local Area Council meeting on Tuesday. The local meetings were set up by the new Conservative administration, following the council elections.

Coun. Derek Kennedy said: “Long stay parking is for the workers of the town, the people who travel here from localities.

“But public transport isn’t strong and people have to scramble to come in for half-past seven to secure a car parking spot and waste an hour and a half of their lives.”

Director for local services and housing delivery, Paul Jones, told the meeting: “I think it’s fair to say that we have reshuffled the deck so many times that it’s now about looking at different solutions.

“We are looking at a number of other sites.”

The county council said it was working with the town council and local county councillors to find long term solutions to car parking issues in Hexham.

One option was the creation of a multi-storey car park or more extensive surface parking.

Potential sites are been looked at in terms of access and traffic impact.

And discussions are taking place with landowners of locations not owned by the local authority.

Cabinet member for environment and local services, Coun. Glen Sanderson, said: “We are committed to making progress on improving the car parking situation in Hexham.

“We have identified some potential options and will be assessing these as soon as possible and consulting the local community.”