Plans to hike up existing parking charges in Cheshire East and introduce fees on free car parks will cripple town centre traders and drive cars on to residential streets, councillors said.
Members of Cheshire East’s highways and transport committee were unhappy they were being asked to give feedback on budget proposals to increase charges when very little detail was given.
In the highways section of the budget (Mid Term Financial Strategy 2023-27) document, executive director Tom Moody states “proposals are being consulted upon to look to increase existing charges in line with inflation, introducing charges at car parks which currently offer free parking and piloting a scheme with variable parking charges that reflect levels of demand by location and time of day”.
Richard Hibbert, head of strategic transport and parking, said the highways department not only needed to make an extra £119,000 in the coming financial year but also had to claw back £1.3m which had been lost from car parks over two years because of the pandemic.
Macclesfield councillor Liz Braithwaite (Lab) said: “Any increase in current charges is unacceptable and disproportionately impacts disadvantaged wards in the two main towns in Cheshire East – Crewe and Macclesfield.”
She said increased charging will lead to even more cars parked on residential streets.
“The proposed increase in income [£119,000] for financial year 2023/24 is presumably by targeting areas that already have parking charges,” said Cllr Braithwaite.
“We have not been given any detail of how the figure has been calculated. When queried with officers I was told the business case would be published next week.
“It’s difficult to make informed comments without adequate information.”
Crewe councillor Hazel Faddes (Lab) said: “In Crewe and Macclesfield, and some other towns, we already pay a premium to fix other people’s car parks.
“The increase we will see in the parking charges in the next year, if this proposal goes forward, will mean the towns that are already paying will have to pay more. This is not fair.”
She referred to care workers at the Acorn Centre in Crewe who currently pay £15 a week to park and would see that increase.
“They’re not on a big wage, they’re carers.
“How can they afford that? How can the staff at Asda afford to pay extra for car parking when, if they worked in another town, they wouldn’t have to pay anything at all,” said Cllr Faddes.
Both Cllr Mike Sewart (Poynton West, Con) and Cllr Connor Naismith (Crewe West, Lab) expressed concern over the lack of detail in the report.
Cllr Naismith said: “Increasing parking charges in the places that already pay disproportionately to park in their towns it simply cannot be considered fair and will not be acceptable to my residents who already see their town centre in what they view as a state of decline.”
Cllr Sally Holland (Congleton West, Con) said hiking up charges would ‘cripple retailers’.
Committee chair Craig Browne (Alderley Edge, Ind) said the council, overall, had to fund a £20m gap.
He said doing nothing was not an option.
Mr Moody told councillors that when they responded to the consultation they should “look at alternative proposals rather than what’s not feasible because we are set this incredibly difficult financial challenge”.
Mr Hibbert stressed again the highways department needed to find not just the additional £119,000 for next year but also make up for the lost £1.3m.
He told councillors that officers had an approach to achieve this and “as currently configured” charges in towns such as Crewe would increase and charges would be introduced to towns which are currently free.
He stressed there would have to be further public consultation on whatever was eventually decided.
The budget will now be considered by corporate policy on February before going to full council on February 22.
(story by Belinda Ryan, local democracy reporter)
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