But it could be argued that the opposite is true - that it is, in fact, the actions of taxi and cab drivers who park in spaces more properly meant for shoppers and other visitors to the town that is keeping away trade.
It is accepted that taxis are offering a public service and that many people rely on them to go shopping, keep appointments, visit friends and family and get home safely after a night out; it is accepted that older passengers, in particular, need to be picked up and dropped off near the town centre.
But taxis are first and foremost a business and taxi firms are obviously going to object to any measures which they consider might hinder their trade. Calderdale Council seems to have enraged the taxi divers of Brighouse by announcing that private hire and hackney cars are not going to be allowed to use spaces in the town centre - without suggesting where they might park instead to satisfactorily conduct their business.
Motorists who have found themselves unable to park in Brighouse town centre have often vented their frustration on taxi drivers; taxi drivers are now venting their anger on Calderdale Council for appearing to take the side of those motorists. The two sides now need to work together to thrash out a solution that suits them both.