Traders fear parking fees will 'kill' market towns

Business owners fear a council's plan to introduce parking charges could "kill" three market towns.

West Northamptonshire Council has proposed bringing car parking charges to Daventry, Towcester and Brackley as part of its draft budget for 2026-27, which is set to be approved in February.

Last month the Reform UK-controlled local authority revealed it was anticipating a £30m gap in its revenue for the next financial year, prompting a review of its services.

Tom Welch from the Daventry independent bookshop Suddenly On Sheaf Street said the proposed charges would be "outrageous".

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he said: "We attract a lot of people in from different towns and villages. They come here and they say it's so nice not to be charged for parking.

"It would definitely affect footfall. Independent businesses are already struggling as we're up against big retail parks. We're trying to get people into the High Street and into the town centre."

Parking is currently free in the three towns, but if the proposed charges are passed they would see the introduction of fees ranging from 50p for 30 minutes, to £5.50 for five hours.

West Northamptonshire Council said it knew the proposals were "not going to be popular with everyone" but that its "top priority must be protecting the most essential services and our most vulnerable people".

Car parks that will be affected in Daventry are Brook Street, Chapel Lane, Chaucer Way, Easter Way, Golding Close, High Street, Lodge Road, Lodge Road Upper, Old Gas Works, Primrose Hill, St James Square, St John's Square, The Doubles, The Hollow, Welton Road Undercroft.

Tori Challice, who works in Feather Robins Gifts and commutes from Northampton, raised concerns about the cost of parking for staff who need to travel in for the day.

She said: "Northampton put the parking prices up in the town centre and all the people stopped going. It will kill the town.

"Our shop only opened in Daventry in October and it seemed to be doing well. Now, if [the new parking prices] happen, we'll already take a massive setback."

Sarah McCrossan, owner of Daisy B's Boutique, added: "Obviously, it's not going to be good for independent businesses and it's not going to be good for the footfall in the town.

"We'll resist it as hard as we can – we can't let this be the end of our town. It will be challenging, but we will overcome and we'll put up a fight."

Conservative MP for Daventry Stuart Andrew has started a petition calling for parking in Daventry to be kept free.

He said: "Introducing charges where parking has always been free would be deeply damaging for our local businesses.

"It risks reducing footfall, discouraging shoppers, and undermining the vitality of our town centre at a time when many small businesses are already under significant pressure."

A spokesperson for Daventry Town Council added that the proposed charges "would undoubtedly have a detrimental impact on the town".

Mark Arnull, leader of West Northamptonshire Council, said: "We do listen to residents' concerns and we are aware of the potential knock-on impacts of implementation of charges in areas where they've not been there.

"We've got statutory responsibilities to deliver certain functions. We got to the fees and charges as the very last measure we can tweak to bring the budget into balance.

"It is the case we can revisit, should we know what fair funding is and throughout the consultation process that starts on 23 December."

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