New Campaign Wants 90-Minute Free Parking Across UK Town Centres

Campaign Calls for 90 Minutes of Free Parking on UK High Streets

Andy Burnham Government Urged to Introduce 90 Minutes of Free Parking on UK High Streets A campaign is calling on the Government to introduce a nationwide standard of 90 minutes of free parking across UK town and city centres to encourage more people to visit local high streets. The campaign has been launched by retail event organiser Spring & Autumn Fair, which says inconsistent parking rules can make it harder for shoppers to visit town centres. A parliamentary petition has been created to support the proposal and currently has just under 500 signatures. It needs 10,000 signatures for the issue to be considered for debate in Parliament. The call follows a survey of more than 2,000 UK shoppers, which found that 63% said free parking would encourage them to visit their local high street more often. Support has also come from independent retailers. A Voice of Retail report found that almost four in 10 of 650 independent retailers surveyed considered free parking the most important measure local authorities could introduce to support town centres. Campaigners argue that parking arrangements currently vary significantly between different parts of the country, with some towns offering no free parking while others provide periods of only 30 minutes. They have described the situation as a "parking postcode lottery", with the amount of free parking available depending on where shoppers live or choose to visit. British fashion designer Jeff Banks has signed the petition and called on others to support the campaign, which is aimed at making high streets easier for customers to access. Campaign organisers say providing 90 minutes of free parking could give shoppers more time to visit independent retailers and spend time in town centres without worrying about parking charges. Jackson Szabo, portfolio director at Spring & Autumn Fair, said people want vibrant town centres and thriving local businesses but also want those places to be easy to visit. The campaign says removing parking costs for an initial 90-minute period would be a simple measure that could help attract shoppers back to local high streets. For motorists, however, the proposal is not currently a nationwide parking rule. It is a campaign calling for the Government to introduce a consistent 90-minute free parking standard across UK town and city centres. The petition will need to reach the required level of support before the issue can be raised in Parliament, meaning the campaign's next step will depend on public backing. If the proposal gains wider support, it could lead to further discussion about how parking charges and free parking periods are used to support high streets and local businesses across the UK.