St Neots could be set to benefit from free parking in council-run car parks after 4pm on weekdays, following a funding agreement between the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority and Huntingdonshire District Council.

Subject to cabinet approval on 14 July, the scheme would run from 1 October this year through to the end of March 2028 — a time-limited trial designed to bring more people into town during the early evening.

For St Neots businesses, that window is significant. The after-school period is already one of the busier times of day in the town centre, with families heading in after pick-up. Removing the cost of parking could encourage more of those visits to turn into a coffee stop, a browse around the shops, or a meal out — translating footfall into real spend for local traders.

The £1.5 million scheme, funded through the Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Paul Bristow’s 2026/27 budget, aims to ease some of the pressure that high streets across the country have been feeling. St Neots, along with Huntingdon, Ramsey and St Ives, is named as a direct beneficiary. Mayor Bristow said the rationale was straightforward:

“Free parking removes at least one barrier to more people coming in and supporting what’s on their doorstep, strengthening our local economy.”

The initiative also sits neatly alongside the region’s growing ambitions for tourism. The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority recently received Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) status from VisitEngland — a formal recognition that supports efforts to grow visitor numbers and spending across the area. Making town centres more accessible in the evenings is a natural complement to that work.

Huntingdonshire District Council leader Sarah Conboy welcomed the proposal, noting its potential to encourage residents and visitors alike to spend more time in town centres later in the day.

The cabinet meeting takes place on 14 July, with a report already published on the HDC website ahead of both Overview and Scrutiny and Cabinet consideration.