THERE will be free Top of The Town parking for shoppers on Small Business Saturday.

Shoppers and people enjoying a meal will be able to get a refund on the cost of their parking when spending more than £10 in Top of The Town in Basingstoke on December 7.

The early Christmas present from Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council is part of its support for Small Business Saturday to give a further boost to traders in the Top of The Town area.

Car park users can bring their ticket for car parking on the Saturday and proof of purchase of over £10 from a participating Top of The Town retailer on the same day to the council offices in London Road, before Monday December 23 for a refund on normal daytime parking charges. The offer applies to people parking from 8am to 6pm in the council-owned Albert Yard, Brinkletts, Castons Yard, Castons, Central, Civic Offices, Eastlands, Feathers Yard, Jacobs Yard, Joices Yard, Sarum Hill and Southern Road car parks.

The first ever UK wide Small Business Saturday is designed to give smaller traders pre-Christmas support to compete with larger retailers on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

The council has already arranged a prize draw, working with Destination Basingstoke, for all those spending over £5 in participating shops and venues in the week starting on Small Business Saturday.

Cabinet member for partnerships Councillor Cathy Osselton, whose portfolio covers parking, said: “This parking refund initiative adds to the support we are already giving to traders in Top of The Town for Small Business Saturday. “We hope it will encourage even more people to come along and discover the range of businesses and smaller retailers in that part of the town centre and give them a boost in the run up to Christmas.”

For further information on the businesses participating in Basingstoke’s Small Business Saturday, including terms and conditions of the parking refunds and full details of the prize draw, visit Basingstoke.gov.uk/go/smallbusinesssaturday