Higher parking charges will harm high streets
BRC warns councils against using parking as a cash cow
Parking policy should be seen as a way to attract customers to the High Street and keep the heart of communities beating, not simply as a revenue raiser, said the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
Backing calls for cash-hungry councils to resist trade-killing increases in parking charges, the BRC said High Streets are the heart of local communities – providing jobs and essential services – and a vital part of the private sector growth the wider economy urgently needs. They should be supported not undermined.
The BRC’s report 21st Century High Streets: A new vision for our town centres includes key recommendations on parking and access.
British Retail Consortium Director of Business and Regulation Tom Ironside said,”Parking and transport policy should be aimed at providing a service to customers and retailers, not exploited as a local authority fund raiser.
“Jacking-up parking charges looks like an easy option for cash-strapped councils but they should not be ignoring the wider impact on their communities and economies of the damage higher charges causes to town centres.”
The Federation of Private Businesses has highlighted Burnley, Nottingham, Shrewsbury and Cornwall as examples of locations where substantial parking-charge increases are being introduced or considered.
The BRC’s report 21st Century High Streets says parking and transport policy should be seen as a way to attract customers to the High Street rather than simply as a means of traffic management. It should aim to reduce town centre congestion and parking demands without affecting footfall. Incentives to use public transport should be offered, not penalties on motorists.
Car parks should not be used primarily as a means of raising revenue, and a proportion of funds raised should be ring fenced to improve car parking options.
