Parking Charges Kill Town Centres

The business organisation said that the practice of local authorities using excessive parking charges to raise revenue is killing town centres. Local authorities made £1.6 billion from parking charges and fines in 2005, up from £628 million in 1997.

Roger Culcheth, FSB local government chairman, says, “Every town is different and you can’t impose exactly the same parking policies everywhere. But, local authorities should come up with a set of criteria for parking policies that encourage shoppers into town centres, rather than turning them away.”

The FSB warned that short-term revenue-raising by local authorities through draconian town centre parking laws would backfire in the long term as high street shops go out of business and the wealth and employment they create is lost.

Mr Culcheth adds, “Although parking restrictions can raise a lot of cash in the short term, they can be extremely damaging to local economies and ultimately counter-productive as shops in town centres begin to close.

“Spiralling town centre parking costs and huge fines must be done away with permanently. The local elections in England and Wales are a perfect opportunity for local authorities to show their commitment to the town centres they have so much influence over.”