Will free parking bring more people to Oldham?

It turns out Oldham Council is going to introduce free parking on Saturdays as it is apparently going "to give Oldham a quick competitive edge" on the run up to Christmas and such.  However, most of Oldhamers will agree that this is not the full reason as to why they have done this.  It has got to be because of the lack of shopping being done in Oldham.  

If you have been around Oldham lately, you will have noticed the number of vacant shop units in Spindles and Town Square, as well as the lack of good and varied market stalls inside and out of the market hall.  Does the council really think that free parking will bring the people back using Oldham as their main shopping town?  No point in giving free parking when there are hardly any shops for those people to go to!!!  

Instead of trying to increase footfall, why not lower the rent for shop units and market stalls, allowing companies to at least have a chance to get a unit or stall to sell from?  I don't know, but that makes more sense to me!