PARKING is set to be free at council sites in Leigh town centre at weekends for the next year.

Plans to extend free parking for Leigh and Wigan town centres until March 2020 was approved by Wigan Council's cabinet yesterday, Thursday.

The money available for free parking will cost the local authority £400,000 a year, which has been set aside now that the council's budget has been balanced.

The plans will be formally decided at a full council meeting on March 6.

Wigan Council leader, Cllr David Molyneux, said: “Free parking gives shoppers the perfect opportunity to visit the town's top high street names, independent shops as well as its popular local markets.

“It’s now up to you to use the free parking and support your local economy.

"That support means that we can continue to drive investment and transform our town centres to meet a demand from you.”

The cabinet also give the green light to freeze council tax for the sixth year in a row which will make it the lowest in Greater Manchester.

Although the council tax will stay the same the Greater Manchester Mayor’s precept will go up.

The precept pays for support in the region such as police and transport services.

On average, the police precept will go up by around £18.50 a year with an additional £7 for the general one.

The council revealed no further efficiencies to frontline services will need to be made for it to reach its total saving of £160m by 2020 and it is reporting a balanced budget this year.

Cllr Molyneux added: “We are now in a position where we don’t need to make any further cuts to frontline services, we will have the lowest council tax in Greater Manchester, and we’re going to continue our free car parking offer.

“This is all possible thanks to The Deal.

"It has radically transformed how we do things and it will help us maintain a secure financial position in the future.

“We are choosing to freeze council tax for the sixth year despite us being the third worst affected authority by government cuts in 2010.

“While we’re doing as much as we can it is absolutely vital that residents do their bit to support us too."

Through The Deal – the council’s informal contract with residents - the authority has already saved £141.5m through efficiency measures, reforming services and reducing demand.

In September last year the council launched The Big Listening Project to engage with residents to find out what they would like the borough to look like in 2030.

More than 6,000 people took part in the consultation and this feedback is now being used to develop The Deal 2030 which will be the borough’s strategy for the next 10 years.