Senior Councillors will receive an update on access arrangements for York’s Christmas Market at a meeting tonight (4 November), including mitigations for Blue Badge holders and local businesses.
In October, the council’s Executive agreed to an Anti-Terrorism Traffic Regulation Order (ATTRO) on public safety grounds following the advice of North Yorkshire Police, but asked council officers and stakeholders to explore mitigations to support access for affected residents and businesses.
One key change has already been made with the Christmas Market now starting at 10.30am, which means that people can stay for half an hour longer in the foot streets than previously planned, allowing greater access to essential services such as banks and pharmacies, and also for city centre businesses.
Alongside this, work is underway to ensure that unauthorised vehicles left unattended within the foot streets area between 10.30am and 7pm will be removed. Executive Members will be asked to approve a temporary change of the Council’s vehicle clamping and removal policy to allow vehicles to be towed to a location outside of the foot streets, to ensure public safety is prioritised during a period of heavy footfall in the centre of York.
The council has also explored potential mitigations for Blue Badge Holders and Executive will also be asked to approve:
- The provision of a £5k grant funding support to Shopmobility York to provide free of charge mobility aid hire for Blue Badge holders accessing the city centre. The support would be structured to incentivise membership of the organisation to provide longer term benefits. This support is equivalent to between 277 and 625 individual equipment hires, depending on the proportion of beneficiaries who are already scheme members. Visitors who want to use this service are asked to please book ahead to secure a mobility aid for their visit. This can be done by calling 01904 679222 or emailing enquiries@shopmobilityyork.org.uk. Last month Shopmobility York announced it will be operating extended hours during the Christmas Market, with mobility aids available 7 days a week.
- The provision of additional dedicated Blue Badge parking capacity on Duncombe Place by temporarily changing one loading bay to Blue Badge parking only
- Advance communication with all registered Blue Badge holders in the city, outlining the measures in place and signposting to resources and support.
Council Leader Cllr Claire Douglas said:
We recognise the huge benefits that the Christmas Market brings to our city. However, this can’t be at the expense of many of our residents and visitors’ abilities to access the city centre.
“When we took the decision to approve the Anti-Terrorism Traffic Regulation Order (ATTRO) on public safety grounds, following the recommendation of the Chief Constable, we asked officers and partners to explore mitigations to enable this access and I am grateful for their work on this. We hope these mitigations will help support residents and businesses to do some of the things they need to do while the Christmas Market is on.
“In early 2026, we will be considering future access arrangements both for the Christmas Market and other popular events in light of North Yorkshire Police’s recommendations. It’s vital that access arrangements ensure everyone is able to enjoy everything York has to offer”.