Iain Duncan Smith has joined a campaign to fight council plans to reduce free parking in the borough claiming it will have a “devastating effect on businesses”.

The plans to reduce free parking was outlined in Waltham Forest council’s Forward Plan which could be passed at a cabinet meeting on October 13.

The Chingford and Woodford Green MP has joined the leader of the Conservative group Matt Davis to instead push for an extension of free parking to 25 minutes.

Parking is currently free for the first 15 minutes in short-stay parking bays including in Station Road, Chingford enough time for people to support local businesses, according to the MP.

He said: “The Tesco’s of this world aren’t going to suffer but the little family-run businesses will.

“The high street is just recovering from the recession and it is still a delicate situation at the moment so put to more costs on them will have a devastating effect.

“You will see people thinking that it is no longer viable to open new shops in the high street. Margins are already small and nationally we need to rejuvenate the high street.

“We will argue with the council about this- that’s all we can do.”

“It is all about revenue for the council really but what they will gain independent businesses will lose.”

Conservative Group Leader Cllr Matt Davis said the measures proposed in the Forward Plan were ‘sneaky and underhanded’.

He said: “The council know it will be an unpopular policy so they have tried to sneak it onto the agenda.

“Chingford is in competition with Epping Forest district where parking is already cheaper.

“This policy may work in the south of the borough but it doesn’t fit here.”

John Harvey, 51, who has worked in J&N Casual Men's Wear in Station Road for 18 years, said lack of free parking and the rise of the internet were the biggest threats to his business.

He said: “Businesses have been fighting parking charges for years and now I’m thinking of packing it in.

“Chingford has gone completely downhill in the past seven years.

“We have lost three shops recently if you look around there are lots of empty ones too.

“Parking is so expensive compared to somewhere like Loughton where it is 30p, people end up just going there instead.

“As soon as you get a ticket, you’re not going to come back to visit Chingford.”

Waltham Forest council has been approached for comment.