Eight million local authority parking penalties are issued annually across England and Wales, according to new figures issued by the RAC Foundation.
In response to this, Federation of Small Businesses’ (FSB) national chairman, Mike Cherry, said: “Councils are cutting their noses off to spite their faces when they try to fill revenue gaps with parking charges. They would do far more to boost local growth, and their own coffers, by taking a more generous approach to parking around local high streets.”
The introduction of permanent short-stay free parking can attract new shoppers and businesses alike, he added, concluding: “Local authorities should put more time and energy into supporting the small business community and focus less on parking restrictions that damage growth in the long-term.”
