EXCLUSIVE 'We were Britain's best high street - what happened?' Locals accuse council of 'squeezing the life' out of their town and say they're suffering 'death by a thousand cuts'

Daily Mail​

17-05-2025

Once hailed as Britain's best high street, York's vibrant Bishopthorpe Road was feted for its buzzing shops, lively cafes and community spirit.
But traders now warn it risks becoming the latest casualty of Britain's high street crisis, with some fearing a slow 'death by a thousand cuts' as rising costs and soaring parking fees drive customers away.
Affectionately known as Bishy Road, the street had defied the malaise endured in towns across the country - with its traditional butchers, bakers, and greengrocers still to succumb to the scourge of vape shops and Turkish barbers.
That was until officials at Labour-run City of York Council last month sanctioned a sweeping rise in parking charges - with the cost of an hour's parking hiked 506 per cent from 80p to £4.85, and £5.30 on Fridays and Saturdays.
A two-hour stay now costs customers £9.70 - up from just £1.60, and rising to £10.60 on Fridays and Saturdays.
The impact, say traders, has been near immediate - with pictures posted online of the once brimming car park now almost empty.
Todd LePage, 57, who runs Pextons Hardware, said the effects were already being felt.
'Last weekend would traditionally have been our busiest of the year,' he said.
'And year-on-year, we were 22 per cent down. That was on a beautiful, sunny weekend.. It was very, very disappointing.
'Some of the cafes are down around 20 per cent on their revenue. And the energy of the street has changed.
'We're seeing fewer families, fewer children – it's like the atmosphere has been sucked out of it.
'We're already dealing with business rates that have gone up 150 per cent, rising staffing costs, national insurance hikes, and rampant inflation over the last few years.
'It begins to feel like death by a thousand cuts. We work extremely hard to keep this street vibrant, but you can only take so much before it starts to crumble.
'This little car park is now more expensive than parking in Kensington and Chelsea on a Friday or Saturday. It's more expensive than Manhattan, Liverpool, and Edinburgh city centres. You just can't make this sort of stuff up.'
Mr LePage, whose shop is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, said that the parking charges were pushing loyal customers to shop elsewhere.
'People might come for a bag of sand or compost - something they can't carry home. But now, they're not going to pay £5 just for the privilege of buying a bag of compost.
Affectionately known as Bishy Road, the street had defied the malaise endured in town's across the country - with its traditional butchers, bakers, and greengrocers still to succumb to the scourge of vape shops and Turkish barbers
'They'll drive another six or seven miles to a retail park instead, adding to congestion and pollution, which is exactly what the council claims to want to avoid.'
York City Council defended the increases as necessary to avoid cuts to other services.
When MailOnline visited Bishy Road - named High Street of the Year in 2015 - the car park was full, though not with shoppers visiting the key-cutting shops or alterations business.
It instead had been commandeered by visitors to nearby York Races.
Lindsey Gill, 58, who runs salon Evolve Hairdressing and employs 19 staff, said: 'This is a street where people would make a day of it – pop in for a haircut, grab a coffee, pick up some groceries.
'But now, customers are telling me they're thinking twice before booking an appointment because they can't justify paying a fiver just to park. We're losing business, plain and simple.
'I'm a small business owner trying to keep my head above water in a cost-of-living crisis. This isn't just a number on a balance sheet – it's my livelihood.
'York is supposed to be a historic, thriving city. But if you make it too hard for people to come here, they just won't.
The owners of the Good Food Shop say their business's takings had 'flat-lined' since parking charges surged
'I don't want to end up on a ghost street, but that's the direction we're heading.
'It's like they're slowly squeezing the life out of us.
'Bishy Road was awarded Britain's Best High Street in 2015 and this policy is strangling the very thing that gives York its individuality and power to attract tourism.'
Carolyn Hodgson, visiting the street for a haircut, said the new charges were putting off locals who once made Bishy Road their go-to shopping spot.
She said: 'Considering the car park used to be 20p an hour, it just doesn't make any sense.
'I'm paying £10 to park, just to get my hair cut. That's another tenner on your haircut – and not everyone's going to do that.
Ms Hodgson, who now lives a few miles away in Acomb, added: 'I come down to use these shops, but if you make it this difficult, people just won't bother.
'And it's not like there's anywhere else to park around here - it's all residential. People are just dumping their cars down side streets now, which isn't fair on the people who live there.
'It's a silly idea, really. I get they want to encourage buses and bikes, but it's just not always practical. Sometimes you just need to nip in and pick something up, and they've made that impossible.'
Millie's' fruit and veg, run by husband and wife team Simon and Leanne Baynes, posted images on its social media channels of the near-empty car park.
Leanne, 39, commented: 'Our takings may be down and our car park empty, but we won't give up on telling the council how wrong this is.'
She added: 'I'm in total dismay what the council have done. Hiking it up to more than a fiver is not just harmful to our business but also has a massive impact on the community around us.
'Last week I had a phone call from a customer who was in tears apologising for not been able to get down for his weekly shop because he can no longer afford to park.
'The council say it has put our prices up to ease congestion in the city. However we are finding our customers who do drive are been diverted to outer-city shopping areas, not only adding to congestion but city pollution also.
'The council has been quick to take advantage of our lovely, once busy street without thinking of the long-term impact this will have.'
Ruth Phillips, 44, owner of The Good Food Shop, estimated that 20 per cent of her trade came from people using the car park.
She said her business's takings had 'flat-lined' since parking charges surged.
Traders have launched a petition in a bid to get the council to rethink the parking hike.
It reads: 'These increases are unreasonable, unaffordable, and damaging to the local community.
'Bishopthorpe Road is a vibrant, independent high street with small businesses that rely heavily on footfall from both local residents and visitors.
'These proposed charges risk deterring Bishy Road shoppers and diners, and undermining the viability of independent businesses already facing economic strain.'
City of York Council claimed the new pricing structure made bus travel more affordable than car parking if staying for two hours or more.
A spokesman said it was 'listening and monitoring the impact' of the increased parking charges.