Boost for shops as councils offer free parking

FREE parking is to be offered in parts of Yorkshire next month as part of a campaign to encourage communities to shop locally.

Selby and East Riding of Yorkshire councils are among 27 authorities across the UK that have agreed to waive charges as they take part in Small Business Saturday on December 7.

The inaugural event has been organised by the Forum of Private Business in a bid to boost trade for small firms.

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Chief executive Phil Orford said: “Free parking is a proven benefit to small businesses.

“Parking charges discourage many consumers from shopping on the high street, diminishing small businesses’ customer base.

“The forum believes removing these charges will help generate the conditions needed to make Small Business Saturday UK a great success.”

Mr Orford said the response from councils was encouraging and those that have not yet responded have been contacted again.

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“It’s great to see local authorities are prepared to take this step to support their local small business community,” he said.

“We may have just 27 so far but we hope many more will follow suit.”

Small businesses employ more than 11 million people across the UK.

Skills and enterprise Minister Matthew Hancock said the campaign was a great opportunity for such firms and had the Government’s full support.

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“I’m pleased to see local councils across the whole country, from Chesterfield to Cornwall and Selby to Stevenage, are showing real support for Small Business Saturday by waiving parking charges, and I hope many more councils will follow their example,” he said.

Shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna MP said the event would be the UK’s biggest ever celebration of small business.

“This is a grassroots campaign and it is fantastic support for the day has grown so significantly, with special events and campaigns planned in local areas for the day across Britain,” he said.

“I hope the day will provide a real boost for small firms during the busiest shopping season of the year.”