PARKING charges in Blackburn should be cut to save jobs, according to the town’s chamber of trade.

President Paul Hoyle spoke out at a meeting to discuss Blackburn with Darwen Council’s budget, where it was announced the percentage of income the council received from parking fees was similar to the amount received from council tax.

Mr Hoyle said: “retail is the biggest employer in the area and it needs looking after.

“The council needs to speculate to accumulate and it should be looking very closely at how much income from parking matters in comparison to keeping people in jobs.

“There needs to be promotion of Blackburn as a retail centre. It’s a competition and we need to be one step ahead of Burnley, Accrington and Preston.”

Councillor Dave Harling, executive member for regeneration at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: “Parking fees are an important part of the income that comes in, but we have never had the idea we want to maximise it.

"We recognise that people need to get into town and nobody wants to pay to park.

“There are a lot of spaces on the periphery of the town that are taken by people who work or spend all day there.”

Councillor Andy Kay, executive member for resources, said: “The council does not control the shopping centre parking charges, only on street parking and the Freckleton Street multi-storey.”

Councillor Colin Rigby warned of the problem of shoppers turning to out-of-town retail centres where parking is free.

He said: “We must make sure that we don’t fall into the trap of out of town centres. The retail park near the Reebok Stadium in Bolton has shut a lot of the shops in Bolton town centre.”