The free hour of on-street parking in Havering is to be scrapped after the council agreed to return to the pre-pandemic £1.50 charge.

Plans to reverse the scheme had been met with pushback before yesterday's (September 28) cabinet discussion, with a Conservative motion and East Havering Residents' Group (EHRG) amendment requesting it be kept submitted at the last full council meeting.

However, a subsequent Havering Residents' Association (HRA) amendment promising a review of all parking charges and facilities was ultimately passed.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Cllr Barry Mugglestone, cabinet member for environment, said the decision was made due to the dire state of the council’s finances.

He said it was “not about cutting back” but “going back to where we were”, and that “in the longer term, we remain committed to supporting residents and businesses”.

Cllr Martin Goode, leader of the EHRG, continued to query the logic behind removing the scheme, telling cabinet: "This will affect small businesses. They will go out of business, it’s as simple as that."

Council leader Ray Morgon however reiterated the promise to carry out a “comprehensive review” of parking in the borough, adding the decision was one of the "tough choices" the council has to make.