A new national campaign has been launched by Spring & Autumn Fair calling for a minimum of 90 minutes’ free parking in town and city centres across England.
This comes after new research revealed that retailers and consumers have independently identified the same practical measure to help encourage more visits to Britain’s high streets.
The campaign – ‘Support Free Parking. Back Local Businesses. Bring People Back’ – centres around a Parliamentary petition urging local authorities to view parking as part of a wider strategy to increase footfall, support independent businesses and strengthen local economies.
The campaign has been developed from Voices of Retail, Spring & Autumn Fair’s annual research programme produced in partnership with Faire. Drawing on the views of retailers and consumers across the UK, the latest findings uncovered a striking consensus: 38 per cent of independent retailers believe free parking would have the greatest positive impact on their business, while 63 per cent of consumers say it would encourage them to visit town and city centres more often.
The research also highlights the opportunity facing Britain’s high streets. Almost all consumers (95 per cent) say they would spend more if their local high street offered a better mix of shops, while 96 per cent want to see more independent retailers alongside cafés, bakeries and other experiences that encourage them to spend longer in town centres.
Jackson Szabo, Portfolio Director at Spring & Autumn Fair, said: “Retailers aren’t asking for special treatment. They’re asking us to remove one of the practical barriers that both businesses and shoppers believe is discouraging visits to our town centres. When retailers and consumers independently arrive at the same conclusion, I don’t think we should ignore it, we should act.”
Rather than viewing parking solely as a transport issue or source of revenue, the campaign encourages it to be considered as one of several practical tools available to support local economic growth, making town centres easier to access encourages people to spend more time on the high street.
Alongside the petition, retailers across the country are being invited to join the campaign through a dedicated Retailer Toolkit, including window posters, QR-code till stickers, social media graphics and digital assets, enabling businesses to encourage customers to sign and share the petition. Trade associations, suppliers, local business groups and industry organisations are also being encouraged to support the campaign and help build momentum.
Mr Szabo added: “For years we’ve talked about saving the high street. perhaps it’s time we started talking more about making it easier for people to use it.”
The Parliamentary petition is now live, with retailers, consumers, suppliers, trade bodies, local authorities and communities encouraged to sign and share, and show support for practical action to help Britain’s high streets thrive.
