Controversial parking charges approved

Plans to raise extra revenue from parking across Cheshire East have been backed by councillors.

Thousands of Cheshire people had objected to the plans which included increasing costs in some areas and bringing in charges that have historically had free parking.

Councillors on Cheshire East’s Highways and Transport Committee voted to approve the plans with vice-chair Laura Crane describing the proposals as “the least worst option”.

The new charges are expected to come into force by October, the meeting heard.

Under the proposals, free parking is set to end in Alsager, Audlem, Bollington, Handforth, Holmes Chapel, Middlewich, Poynton, Prestbury and Sandbach.

Some car parks are set to be free after 15:00 GMT to support school pick-up times.

A total of 11 councillors on the committee voted for the plans, with one voting against and one abstaining.

The measures included an amendment with a 30-minute parking tariff to be introduced at one car park in every area impacted.

About 30 public speakers attended the meeting including members of the public, representatives of town and parish councils and Cheshire East councillors not on the committee.

Independent Rob Moreton raised concerns about charges at a small car park used by patients visiting a doctors’ surgery in Congleton, describing it as “taxing the sick”.

Conservative Rachel Bailey said it was “eerily familiar” to when a controversial garden waste charge was introduced.

“That was agreed at budget setting but when the budget was voted on, no details of those proposals were available and here we are again with parking charges in the same circumstances,” she said.

Sarah Bennett-Wake, of Macclesfield Town Council, which already has parking charges, said it seemed “only fair”.

She added: “If we don’t do things differently like in Macclesfield, we’ll end up with a section 114 [when a council is effectively bankrupt] and everything will be cut.”

A report ahead of the meeting said there would still be an £800,000 shortage and councillors were asked to consider a number of other recommendations.

Recommendations including cashless parking across the borough, charges on Sundays and charges on evenings were approved.

However, a proposal to start charges from 8:00 am, impacting school drop-off time, was rejected.

The measures would be subject to further public consultation.

Speaking after the meeting, Labour Cllr Crane said: “We are in a situation, as just about every council is, where we have to balance our books and those non-statutory services are at risk of being lost.

“To me it’s a better option to include a user pays approach rather than having to consider removing those car parks and releasing them into the private sector,” she said.