Charity's bid for free car park spaces in Oswestry town centre
A charity which offers community transport services wants to have free car parking spaces in a Shropshire town centre.
Oswestry Community Action, otherwise known as Qube, has asked the town council if it would consider allocating four parking spaces in the Smithfield Road car park, along with one additional space in the Central car park.
The extra parking, it says, would be used for the charity’s transport service.
The charity offers courses as well as Dial-a-Ride, Community Cars and Shopmobility services.
“We have delivered a community transport service for over 30 years across Shropshire for mainly people living in the Oswestry area,” said Kim Wootton, chief officer at Qube.
“In that time we are proud to say that we made a meaningful contribution to improving access to transport for our community.
“From its beginning in 1992 with one car delivering prescriptions, it has grown to a service which has four minibuses, three cars and a further 10 volunteers using their own vehicles to carry out community car journeys.”
Ms Wootton added that membership grew to more than 900 last year and continues to increase. The charity completed nearly 6,000 journeys with 15.8 per cent being for health appointments, 13.3 per cent for shopping, and 40.9 per cent for social visits.
“Community transport is a lifeline to our members, many of whom would be socially isolated and lonely without the service,” said Ms Wootton.
“The lease for our community building on Oswald Road expires in August 2026, and we have been actively seeking alternative premises for some time.
“We are pleased to confirm that an agreement has been reached to relocate to 10 Smithfield Road, Oswestry, with the move planned for early 2026.
“Currently, Iceland kindly allows us to park our community transport vehicles in their car park, enabling our drivers and passenger helpers to take breaks and liaise with the transport team. This arrangement is essential from a health and safety perspective and supports the smooth and effective running of the service.
“However, once we relocate to Smithfield Road, it will no longer be feasible to use the Iceland car park.”
Ms Wootton has therefore asked the council if four spaces in the Smithfield car park can be allocated for its community minibuses, and one space int he Central car park for a community car.
“While we would be extremely grateful if these spaces could be allocated free of charge, we recognise this may not always be possible,” said Ms Wootton.
“However, we ask councillors to take into account the vital role our community transport service plays in supporting some of the most vulnerable residents in Oswestry. With rising costs and increasing difficulty in securing funding, any additional expense places further strain on the sustainability of the service.
“By supporting us with this request, the council would be directly helping to safeguard a lifeline that enables people to remain independent, connected, and active within their community.”
Oswestry Town Council will discuss the request on Wednesday (October 8).
