Parking charges reform urged

The Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) has called for the abolition of town centre parking charges.

It is among proposals set out in the trade body’s new Road to Recovery document, which urges the Scottish Government to take “bold” steps to help retailers survive the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the eight-page submission to the government’s advisory group on economic recovery, SRC highlights pressures facing the industry and calls for business burdens to be lightened in the immediate and medium term.

SRC’s ideas for encouraging consumer spending also include targeted income or other tax cuts to support ordinary workers, a “short life” scrappage scheme to replace inefficient household items with more

“Retailers will face the toughest conditions”

environment-friendly models and direct cash payments to “less affluent” consumers.

The document also suggests introducing a one-year moratorium on new public policy initiatives unrelated to Covid-19, and a delay on implementing existing measures to allow retailers to focus on restructuring their businesses to manage physical distancing and other new public health actions.

In addition, it proposes tapering the end of business rates relief at the end of the 2020-21 financial year to prevent an immediate spike in costs for retailers.

SRC head of policy Ewan MacDonaldRussell said: “There is a slew of evidence which indicates retailers will face the toughest trading conditions this century once the country emerges from lockdown.”