Forum urges councils to help small firms with parking charge scrapping

Local councils must scrap car parking charges next year to help small businesses grow in the coming years, according to one organisation.

The Forum of Private Business (Forum) says that retailers, and specifically those on the high street, would benefit massively from the scrapping of parking charges in town centres.

Indeed, it said the change would represent "one of the most business-friendly concessions" a council could make for ailing small businesses in what is likely to be another difficult trading year in 2013.

The Forum's Head of Policy, Alex Jackman, explained that there are "so many reasons" why all councils should look at helping with parking charges.

"High streets across the country are under threat and have been for many years now from the likes of out-of-town shopping centres where parking is universally free. Then there's the internet and the rise of e-tailers taking an increasingly bigger slice of a shrinking consumer pie," he noted.

It comes after the Federation of Small Businesses revealed that business confidence continued to rise in the final quarter of this year.

Posted by Ben Evans

Date published 19 Dec 2012 | Last updated 19 Dec 2012