Local authorities must reconsider their parking policy to ensure small businesses survive, it has been claimed.
According to John Wright, chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), believes that lack of parking provision is damaging high street firms.
Mr Wright says: "High streets across the country are the engines of local economies and they depend on sensible parking provision for successful businesses."
However, this is being "undermined" by the tendency of local authorities to view parking as "a quick revenue grab".
Councils should instead consider parking to be part of an area's fundamental transport strategy in order to boost local firms.
Last week, David Kern, economic advisor at the British Chambers of Commerce, warned that retailers in the UK will continue to struggle because of the current economic downturn.
This is because people have little spare cash and those that do are largely unwilling to spend it, he explained.
