25 councils agree to offer free parking on Small Business Saturday

More than 25 local councils have agreed to waive parking fees on Small Business Saturday next month.

Small Business Saturday, held on December 7, is a celebration of small firms across the UK, and a campaign to encourage communities to shop locally and support their small businesses.

Last month, the Forum of Private Business wrote to local authorities across the UK to ask them to offer free parking in support of the inaugural Small Business Saturday UK event.

“Free parking is a proven benefit to small businesses,” explains Phil Orford, chief executive of the Forum of Private Business.

“Parking charges discourage many consumers from shopping on the high street, diminishing small businesses’ customer base. We believe that removing these charges will help generate the conditions needed to make Small Business Saturday UK a great success.

“The response from many councils has been really encouraging. It’s great to see local authorities are prepared to take this step to support their local small business community. We may have just 27 so far, but we hope many more will follow suit.”

Matthew Hancock, the skills and enterprise minister – and a supporter of Small Business Saturday UK – said the event is a great opportunity for small firms.

“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 UK by waiving parking charges. Small businesses employ over 11 million people across the UK and our new ‘Business is GREAT’ campaign is celebrating the contribution they make.”

The local councils with free parking offers on Small Business Saturday UK are: 

1. Arun District Council
2. Blaby District Council
3. Breckland Council
4. Camden Council
5. Castle Point Borough Council
6. Cheshire East Council
7. Cheshire West and Chester Council
8. Chesterfield Borough Council
9. Cornwall Council
10. Cumbria County Council
11. East Riding of Yorkshire Council
12. Eden District Council
13. Hart District Council
14. Hartlepool Borough Council
15. Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council
16. Merton London Borough Council
17. Middlesbrough Council
18. Mole Valley District Council
19. North Tyneside Council
20. North Warwickshire Borough Council
21. Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council
22. Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council
23. Pendle Borough Council
24. Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council
25. Rossendale Borough Council
26. Selby District Council
27. Stevenage Borough Council

Of course, parking offers will vary from council to council, so do check with the council itself for details of the offer.

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