Councillor Taylor makes a valid point when he says nothing is free (Your say, October 1).

However, he does lack an understanding of basic economics. Firstly, income is derived not only from the primary source, in this case car parking, but also the secondary source, which is the revenue gained from those who would park.

As a shopkeeper (I own Food Therapy on Northgate) I am wholly dependent on the secondary source and if I were to fail the council would not receive any income in the form of rates from me. If enough shops close or become cafes or charity shops then the car parking income itself will decrease as shoppers leave in droves to find a better town centre to shop in.

You see, Coun Taylor, nothing is as simple as you would have us believe. Perhaps there are courses that would put you in touch with the real word. Our MP Linda Riordan has taken meetings with myself and council officers to protect our town centre businesses and that means encouraging shoppers and not driving them out of town.

I would welcome free parking as provided by other councils such as Blackburn (free parking in council-owned car parks until Christmas) who recognise the slippery slope that this short-sighted scramble to make money out of car parking leads us to.

So Coun Taylor, next time you wish to speak on my behalf and tell the Courier readers what I, as a small retailer, want, I suggest you ask me first.

Kevin Benson