I am again calling on Perth and Kinross Council to introduce two-hour free parking to help save town centre retail.
Alongside local businesses in Perth City Centre we are asking the council to make this change, incentivising people to return to city centre shopping.
I previously campaigned on this issue prior to the Scottish Parliament election in May and now the calls are being echoed by town centre businesses such as the Highland Health Store, a family run institution known to Perthshire residents, who are “heartbroken” at the decline of Perth City Centre in recent years.
Critics may point to the parking charges, which admittedly are not high in comparison to Edinburgh or Glasgow, but this is not the point. Why would you pay an extra few pounds to park in town when you can park at retail parks for free?
Little incentives such as two-hour free parking can help to bring people back into our historic retail centres and consequently support the small and large businesses that are the backbone of the local economy.
Businesses are hard-pressed enough and need all the support they can get. I hope that the council will listen to their calls and implement two-hour free parking as soon as possible.
