The decision by Kirkgate Shopping Centre to slash its car parking charges just weeks after The Broadway cut its rates has got to be good news for shoppers.

And it should also be good news for retailers in the city as well, as the cuts in parking costs will help draw more shoppers in.

The latest move comes after traders in the Kirkgate Market raised concerns about the cost of parking at the centre with the backing of their local MP Naz Shah.

With out of town centres offering free parking as a matter of course, it makes perfect sense to make parking rates in Bradford as competitive as possible. Obviously centres need to be competitive, but there are also concerns commuters and other non-shoppers would use car parking if prices are too low.

Ultimately, though, both operators now seem to have recognised that the volume of shoppers is more important than the revenue per car.

It does seem that the big differential between The Broadway prices and Kirkgate was beginning to have an impact, with traders in the market saying trade had dropped by up to 70 per cent since The Broadway cuts in March.

Of course, there are concerns about the impact that the new centre will have overall on Kirkgate and other shopping areas in the top part of town.

But the more shoppers the city can bring in, the more money there is to go round.

And making car parking for shoppers so competitive will certainly make the whole city more attractive as a shopping destination.