A tale of two towns; One scraps meters.. one brings them in.

Byline: BY AIDAN McGURRAN and EUAN STRETCH

THE contrast could not be starker and there is a clear lesson to be learned - parking charges kill high street shops.

Today the Mirror tells a tale of two towns. One has given shoppers a break from high street car parking charges at the weekends - and the other has brought them in.

One is now bustling. The other has small traders who fear they may go bust.

So no surprise that store owners in both towns are right behind one of the Mirror's key demands in its Save Our High Streets campaign.

We are calling for the scrapping of weekend parking charges on high streets to encourage shoppers to start spending locally again.

The alternative to throwing our traditional shops a lifeline is grim rows of boarded-up stores and the loss of the beating hearts of our communities.

So today we tell how cutting parking charges has boosted Billericay in Essex, while Eastbourne in East Sussex suffers as ordinary folk are priced out.

And Phil Orford, a leading business figure, stressed action is needed NOW as he backed the Mirror's demands.

The boss of the Forum of Private Business warned: "Since January, about 200 small shops per day have shut their doors - and many more are expected to follow. By the end of the year, 135,000 could be gone forever."

BILLERICAY, ESSEX

SHOPPERS are returning to the town's High Street - thanks to the council's decision in February to scrap parking charges.

And store owners are delighted. Graham Howes, 65, who runs Blunts Farm Shop on the High Street, said: "It took a week or two for people to realise the parking was free but now the message is getting across it is making a world of difference."

Billericay is a wealthy commuter town, with many of its residents working in highpaid jobs in London.

But even here the credit crunch is biting. As well as the loss of Woolworths, four independent stores have closed down in recent months.

There are fears that more will follow, and the Daily Mirror's rescue plan has struck a chord.

Billericay Chamber of Commerce chairman Trevor Draper, who runs two High Street shops, said: "We have seen an increase of about 10 per cent... since the free parking at weekends was introduced.

"It's great news after months of difficulty for traders. Now is a crucial time for our local businesses."

Leader of Basildon Council, Malcolm Buckley, said: "We hope this means town centres can continue to prosper and retain their variety, rather than becoming boarded up ghost towns." Sarah Millet, 39, is the owner of Billericay's oldest High Street shop N. Shelley - a women's clothes store that has been trading for 85 years.

She said: "I think people want to shop locally if they can and measures like this do help."

Philip Goodspeed, 41, runs the fishmongers. He is pleased by the scrapping of car parking fees, he reckons shops are also crippled by excessive business rates. He said: "Any reduction would be a big help."

It might seem a small thing but it's already made a big difference

TRADER GRAHAM HOWES

EASTBOURNE, EAST SUSSEX

WITH its long promenades, pier and art deco bandstand, the resort attracts more than four million visitors every year.

But its charm is being threatened by boarded-up shops and To Let signs - which critics blame on town centre parking charges of up to pounds 2 an hour.

A pay and display scheme began last October despite fierce opposition by the borough council and businesses who wanted limited parking to remain free.

They say the charges are killing off local trade. And they reckon the pounds 5,000 a day being taken in parking fees by a private company is money lost to the local economy.

Stephen Lloyd, an Eastbourne Borough Lib Dem councillor, backed our campaign saying: "In such an economic downturn, this should not be happening."

He also rapped East Sussex County Council for awarding NCP a pounds 1million a year contract to run the scheme - although ESCC transport chief Malcolm Wood insisted: "It's now easier to visit the centre without driving about for a free space."

But shopper Madeleine Stevens, 30, paid pounds 2 for a ticket while she popped into town for five minutes.

She said: "People from out of town now go to retail parks where parking is free."

David Taylor, of Thayer's Real Dairy Ice Cream shop, added: "These charges are costing me 25 per cent of my business."

He and fellow shopkeepers are adamant they are paying the real price in destroyed trade.

pounds 5,000 is being taken out the local economy every day by parking fees

LIB DEM COUNCILLOR

SAVE OUR HIGH STREETS DAILY Mirror

OUR 10-POINT RESCUE PLAN

1 Monthly rents instead of quarterly to ease bills

2 Abolish upward-only rent reviews

3 Reduce business rates in line with falling RPI 

4 Scrap plans for business rate supplement

5 Cut red tape on rate relief for small firms

6 5% VAT rates for small businesses

7 Force banks to lend to small firms again

8 Insurers must reinstate credit insurance

9 Scrap weekend parking charge on high streets

10 Urge landlords to let empty shops cheaply

CAPTION(S):

BUSY Shoppers in Billericay; CLOSED Parking charges hit trade in Eastbourne; BOOST Free parking has helped; FEE-LING DOWN David has lost 25% of sales