Glastonbury will benefit from free car parking on Saturday December 7 for Small Business Saturday.

Mendip District Council is offering free car parking in St John's car park in Glastonbury to support the Small Business Saturday event which takes place on the first Saturday in December each year.

Small Business Saturday highlights small business success and encourages consumers to shop local and support small businesses in their communities.

On Small Business Saturday, customers across the UK go out and support all types of small businesses, online, in offices and in stores. Many small businesses take part in the day by hosting events and offering discounts.

Cllr Nick Cottle, portfolio holder for neighbourhood services which includes car parks, said: "We are delighted to be supporting Small Business Saturday and hope that businesses can take advantage of the day and plan events to make the most of the free parking being made available on Saturday December 7.

"The free car parking offer helps encourage the message of shopping locally and supporting the businesses in Mendip."

The council hopes that by offering free parking on the day in Glastonbury, shoppers will be encouraged to support the local businesses in their communities.

Jill Barker, chair of Glastonbury Chamber of Commerce, said: "Our past experience with Small Business Saturday in Glastonbury has been very positive.

"We have found that there is an increase of footfall when there is free parking given to allow them to shop local.

"The Glastonbury Chamber of Commerce and Tourism is just about to launch a campaign to Buy Local, Promote Local for Christmas so having Small Business Saturday as part of our campaign works very nicely for us.

"We are trying to get local people to support local businesses as much as they can and Christmas time is the perfect period to encourage this as much as possible.

"It is quite amazing what sort of businesses you can find locally and spending with those businesses means you are not only helping that business owner but you are also keeping money in your home town and the Mendip area.

"Spending locally is a win/win in so many ways, so having support from Mendip District Council for initiatives like Small Business Saturday is a great help."

Now in its seventh year in the UK, Small Business Saturday has grown significantly each year with an estimated £812 million spent in small businesses across the UK on 2018's Small Business Saturday – an eight per cent increase on the previous year.