Council's parking 'sale' to draw shoppers

A LONDON council has become the first in the country to introduce a parking "sale" - slashing the cost of parking to encourage Christmas shoppers.

Barnet has reduced its typical hourly rate from £1.50 to just 10p while all-day parking in the borough drops to £1. The new pricing will be start on 20 December and run until 4 January.

The measure will cost the council £170,000 but it believes the low cost of parking should help to give the local economy a boost. Other councils may be forced to follow suit or else risk shoppers defecting to Barnet to benefit from cheap parking.

Barnet will put temporary signs in all its car parks and on almost 500 pay and display machines.

Council leader Mike Freer said: "It is essential in the current financial climate that the council does everything within its power to encourage more (people) to shop (here) and we envisage that by reducing the cost of parking... it will increase the footfall for local traders."