Cash-strapped Cheshire East Council’s new £11 million multi-storey car park has cost the authority approximately £87,000 to operate – and brought in just £17,244 in parking income in its first six months.
In October, it was revealed the 395-space car park was bringing in just £75 a day in terms of income for the council.
But, at that time, Cheshire East was unable to reveal its operational costs.
Now, following a freedom of information request, the Local Democracy Reporter Service can reveal parking income, from opening to January 31, has increased to around £110 a day.
But the car park cost about £87,000 to operate up to that date – meaning a total loss of £69,756 just six months after opening.
The response from the council stated the primary costs were “business rates of £29,860, £34,480 on utilities, £19,800 on maintenance and £2,860 on security costs”.
It added: “Parking services currently provide staffing resources to cover all the council’s town centre car parks within Crewe.”
The LDRS also asked whether Cheshire East paid the full construction costs for the car park or whether it had been part-funded by grants.
The council replied: “The cost of constructing the Crewe town centre MSCP was £11.3 million and this was fully funded by Cheshire East Council.
“Five million pounds of external grant (Local Growth Fund) has been allocated to this project, but as this was time-limited, it was reallocated to another project which defrayed the costs within the required time-frame.
“The £5 million CEC funding for that project was reallocated to the Royal Arcade MSCP and bus station project.”
The council then said it was important it provides “additional contextual information in our response” and included information which it said it had provided in a similar recent FOI response.
This stated: “The MSCP provides capacity to replace spaces being lost when other car parks are closed in the town centre.
“Recently, car parks have closed at Oak Street for the youth zone; the Civic Centre for the development of the history centre, and Lyceum Square to reinstate the outdoor events space, and there are plans to redevelop other town centre surface car parks.”
Cheshire East has installed 73 CCTV cameras across the car park and the new bus station next to it.
The council said this was “to provide maximum coverage internally and externally for the purposes of reducing crime, disorder, anti-social behaviour, and the fear of crime by helping to provide a safer environment for those people who live and work in the area and for visitors travelling through the area”.
(Story by Belinda Ryan, local democracy reporter)
Is wildly out of touch Councillor Goldsmith actually suggesting every other car park in Crewe centre will soon be closed to ENFORCE usage of the Multi-Storey Monstrosity and thus justify its existence? – If so CE will be inviting serious civil protest!
Mr Goldsmith inferring that CE Councillors aptitude for Business/Investment is somehow on a par with Amazon’s Jeff Bezos is rib tickling ‘Live at the Apollo’ stuff for sure!🤣
Perhaps the Councillor cum-Comedian would care to offer his best forecast as to which of the ‘Next 60 years’ the Multi-Storey white elephant will begin to ‘Pay Dividends’ or at least scratch the surface of its initial £11M cost?
Is councillor Mark Goldsmith on drugs?
Built to support the new shopping centre that they then decided not to build, genius
Dear Mr Goldsmith, sadly Cheshire East Council has failed its citizens. It evidences incompetence at many levels, including Councillors, Directors and Senior Managers. The Car Park in Crewe is just another example.
I suggest you all resign you seats as Councillors.
You simply would not survive in the private sector.
There is plenty of car parking in Crewe. Any project should be based on the capability to achieve a Return on the Capital Advanced and create an operating profit or surplus.
The lack of strategic thinking within the Council is beyond belief.
Sadly this is just one example of incompetence that prevails within the Council.
Remember the 11 million pounds paid to consultants for HS2 and the failure to secure this funding from Central Government.
The only people you are kidding is yourselves.
Hello Mr Goldsmith
Your comment shows how out of touch with the local area you are.
This is car park and bus terminus is a key part of the regeneration of Crewe. It will soon be the only parking in the town for the next 60 years.
So to judge such a long-term investment’ on its first 6 months of trading is completely unrealistic. That’s not how business works either. For example Amazon made huge losses for its first 7 years in business, so was that badly run and a huge flop?
No, it was building something that needed heavy investment at the start to pay dividends later on.
Which is exactly why this car park and bus station was built.
Can Cheshire East Council explain why they intend to incorporate a car 🚗 park on the extension of the memorial square.
I fully believe it is to locate approximately 30 space’s plus.
May I also mention why have Cheshire East Council Discriminated against disabled people,
In Delamere street they have disregard blind people who rely on pelican crossings too cross as with being sight impaired they rely on the bleeping sounds of the pelican crossing to cross safely.
Now they have wasted money on a zebra crossing this puts people in great danger whilst crossing,
Why for God’s sake don’t they listen to the people of CREWE and liaise with us we are only human trying to see common sense.
I have lived in Crewe all my life and approaching 70 I use to be proud of Crewe and worked on the council highway Department as a paviors mason.
I am now ashamed of my home town of Crewe and how money is wasted.
When people say where do you live I just say in Cheshire.
My town is nothing short of a ghetto.
CHESHIRE EAST COUNCIL GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER AND CONSULT WITH YOUR PEOPLE OF CREWE .
By wasting tax payers money constructing zebra crossing the
The Halfwits who sanctioned the construction of the grotesque monument to their mind-blowing stupidity and sickening waste of Taxpayers dough should be named and shamed and summarily ousted from Public Office instead of left at liberty to inflict the next round of Council Tax lncreases to help cover their tracks!
You couldn’t write it.
No wonder the council are in the shit.
Idiotic council
Is government, both local and national, the only occupation where you can be completely incompetent at your job with no repercussions?