Councils are as much to blame, make it as difficult for people who actually travel to shop ( therefore keeping the town alive) as possible, its annoying enough just trying to find a toilet then the cheek of charging for it.

Nope, not playing their games any more, about the only town centre shop i still use is the excellent butcher.

Towns are in their dyingh throes, lawless streets as witnessed in central london and southend over the last few days with looting fools trying to emulate another bunch of looting fools in the usa will hasten the inevitable. Solvent civilised shopper will vote with their feet and their wallets, Amazon and well managed retail parks who discourage low lifes will flourish, the towns will suffer their fate.

Wilko should have followed the example of their more enlightened competitors and moved to new small retail parks, its not just free parking its convenient safe parking close the shops so you don't have to lug around heavy and/or bulky items through the streets.

As for politicians, the only time they are remotely interested in us less than equal plebs is during the run up to an election when they start spouting thingsthey think the electorate want to hear, they despise us anyway but its less obvious whilst they mug you for your vote.

The trouble with a town centre is that they are not designed for a lot of cars and can't really see as they ever could be without knocking down huge amounts of shops which would stop people wanting to visit them in in the first place. Any ideas?

The retail park/ large shopping centre is the modern day high st.

Cwmbran a relatively new town in South Wales has had free parking in its large shopping centre since it opened 60 odd years ago. It has seen all the major stores come and go but in the last few years stores and banks are going and units empty. Large supermarkets have opened on the fringes with there own car parks but guess what restricted times and the parking sharks with their number plate cameras. A lot of people are too busy to shop or cannot be bothered. Others will use a gallon of fuel just to visit one shop without a thought for the cost. The sensible now shop on line in their own time and bargain hunt a few even ordering cars to be delivered to their door

A

I don't use one local retail park, the roads around it and car park are too congested.

Same here, i don't go near the massive retail parks that have sprung up ie Riverside Northampton (except for the Toyota dealer) or Lakeside Rushden, its smaller 3/12 unit parks that are much better all round, easy free parking within 50 yards of the shop relatively traffic free unless at weekends, i'd never venture near any shop on a weekend anyway (benefit of working shifts, i'm almost always off work Mondays and finish work most other working days before 2pm), wifey much the same won't go near the town or any shops of a weekend.