CAR parking charges on Ribble Valley Council sites are to waived on Saturdays in December in a bid to boost Christmas business.
And in a further boost, charges will be frozen at their current rate until March 31, 2010.
Council bosses said the new measures were designed to help festive trading and pass on some of the benefits of a cut in VAT from 17.5 to 15 per cent announced by the Government.
Council Leader Michael Ranson said: “We are determined to pass the VAT reduction on to residents as soon as possible.
“As well as free car parking on Saturdays, we will also be settling our accounts with local suppliers within 10 days.
“We will be considering other measures aimed at cushioning the impact of the recession over the coming weeks.”
The move follows hot on the heels of Blackburn with Darwen Council’s similiar offer.
It has made parking free on all its car parks every Saturday for three hours.
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