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Get your free copy25 September 2008, 19:19 PM
- Local authorities must reconsider parking policies if they are to preserve their high streets, reveals the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).
“High streets across the country are the engines of local economies and they depend on sensible parking provision for successful businesses,” says FSB national chairman, John Wright. “Yet this dependence is being undermined by local authorities who treat parking as a quick revenue grab rather than an essential service that benefits local communities and economies.
“Only when parking policies are seen as a service that is bespoke, smart and a fundamental part of an area’s transport strategy will independent retailers survive on our high streets and in our town centres.”
Local authorities in England are believed to make almost £1.6 billion in revenue from parking charges and fines. It is also estimated that there is a £350 million surplus from parking income per year in England.
