PARKING - what a problem, even more so if you are on a short errand or if you want to bob in somewhere to pick something up.

It's a case of: Should I risk it? Might get fined, or feed a meter a pound to pick up my dry cleaning or whatever.

It would be so nice and very beneficial to our town centre shops if all ratepayers in Blackburn and Darwen had a disc they could display and which would entitle them to a one hour's free parking a day.

It does work, they do it in lots of places.

I was in Thirsk last week and they have this facility and it was heaving.

Of course it helps if you have an open air market on your main street.

Wouldn't Church Street, Blackburn, be ideal?