Scarborough Council's car parks and public toilets open up this weekend, and here's when beach dog ban will be enforced

This is in response to the ongoing national easing of coronavirus restrictions and more people choosing to travel for exercise and leisure.

The council’s public toilets throughout the borough will open permanently from today, Saturday 6 June, with the exception of the facilities on West Pier in Scarborough, which are undergoing repairs to fix a newly emerged fault in the hot water supply.

All the council’s off street car parks will also open from this weekend, although charging and enforcement will not start until Monday 15 June. This is to coincide with the opening of non-essential retail when demand for car parks is expected to be greater.

People are encouraged to pay for parking ‘hands free’ using the RingGo app. Anyone needing to pay by cash (or card where the parking machine has that facility) is asked to use hand sanitiser before and after using the machine to minimise their risk of catching or spreading the virus.

NHS staff, NHS coronavirus volunteers and social care key workers will still benefit from free parking as long as they display identification of their employment in their vehicle. This is a nationally recognised scheme and permits can only be issued by the worker’s employer.

Anyone with an expired parking permit should reapply online at scarborough.gov.uk or email [email protected] or call 01723 232323. Due to reduced capacity within the council’s Customer First centre, permits can only be renewed online or via the telephone/postal application option and not face to face.

Warning notices will be issued in the run-up to 15 June to motorists with expired permits and those contravening existing regulations.

The enforcement of beach dog bans, which have been temporarily suspended since 1 May, will commence from Monday 15 June and will continue to the end of September when the usual bathing season finishes.

The RNLI lifeguard service is currently only available at Scarborough South Bay.

Cllr Liz Colling, Scarborough Borough Council Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Inclusive Growth, said: “As we move towards a reopening of our retail and seafront areas, we want to ensure that people can use our toilets and car parking facilities safely and when they need them.

“It’s important that people continue to exercise social distancing, including on the beaches. We’ve seen a steady increase in beach users in recent weeks so we feel the middle of June is the right time to reintroduce the dog ban enforcement.

"Dog owners will still be able to exercise their pets on beach areas not covered by a ban. More information about this is available on our website.”

A full range of services is available online at scarborough.gov.uk or by calling 01723 232323 and these are still the best ways to contact the council.

The Customer First centre in Scarborough remains open from 10am to 2pm for customers who are vulnerable and have no other means of contacting the council. The centre has had to change the way it operates to allow for social distancing and to ensure services can be provided in a safe and convenient way, so the capacity for seeing people in person is significantly reduced. For some enquiries, including benefits, appointments will be offered and should be arranged by phone before visiting.

The co-ordinated effort between the borough and county councils and the voluntary and community sectors to support the borough’s most vulnerable residents continues and remains just as important. A range of practical and emotional support is available through two community support hubs; Scarborough and Filey COVID-19 Community Response, led by Age UK, and Whitby and District Community Response, led by CaCVA.