Parking mad - Telegraph There were some welcome business-friendly measures in the Chancellor's Autumn Statement last week, but the difficulties for high street retailers persist. One particular bugbear of shopkeepers is parking, and a consultation paper from the Department of Communities and Local Government has acknowledged what many retailers have been saying for years: some local authorities are not using their powers to meet the best interests of road users, communities and businesses in their area. The paper states: "There are concerns about over-zealous parking enforcement and high parking charges driving people out of town centres, pushing up the cost of living and making it harder for people to park responsibly and go about their everyday lives." It may have taken the Government an age to recognise what, to us, has long been apparent; but if something is finally done to restore a semblance of common sense to these parking regimes, it will have been worth the wait. Among the proposals is a plan to stop the use of CCTV for on-street parking enforcement, which has resulted in motorists being fined when they were unaware of having committed an offence. The department is also considering whether businesses should be able to make councils review their parking strategies, including the use of charges and double-yellow lines. This will be welcome news for hard-pressed retailers who have watched as parking restrictions and extortionate fees have driven customers away and contributed to the decline of high streets. No one is saying that parking controls are not needed, but they must be proportionate and not intended merely to raise revenue. It is high time that businesses were able to stand up to those councils who would rather see cash in their own coffers than in the tills of local shops.