Cheshire East Council chiefs have defended their decision to charge organisers of the Nantwich Food Festival for the use of their car parks.
In previous years, the festival was able to use car parks such as Love Lane and Bowling Green for free to stage their food hall marquees.
But that agreement ended last year and the council and festival directors have been negotiating ever since.
Some directors warned last year that the festival’s future could be in doubt if they were forced to pay for the car parks.
Festival bosses said last week they had agreed to pay for the car parks for the 2025 event, which runs August 29-31.
Cheshire East Council says it will be charging the festival the same amount it would normally earn from car parking across those three days.
Cllr Mark Goldsmith, chair of Cheshire East Council highways and transport committee, said: “We recognise the popularity of Nantwich Food Festival and what it brings to the local economy.
“That is why we have been keen to work with the event organisers to ensure an agreement could be reached over the use of our car parks – five car parks are used in total during the festival.
“The decision to begin recovering costs for the use of our car parks comes at a time of significant financial challenges and increased demand on the statutory services the council provides, particularly those that support the most vulnerable in our communities.
“Without placing even more pressure on our finances, the loss of revenue from these car parks over the course of the festival is simply no longer something the council can continue to absorb.
“Particularly, when you consider the rising costs of maintaining, managing, and enforcing our car parks.
“We must also be fair to the organisers of other events across the borough where our car parks are taken out of action.
“The fee being charged by the council offsets the income that would be raised if the car parks were operating as normal – we are not charging an additional premium for their use.
“We are also not charging for delivering any additional services relating to the festival, such as extra litter picking and emptying of litter bins.
“We look forward to working with the organisers of the food festival in the coming years and wish them every success for the 2025 event.”
(Aerial image of Love Lane car park during festival, by Jonathan White)
The traders who have stalls at the Nantwich Food Festival are there to make profit and promote their business and commercial activities. That is fine, profit is a fine motive. However the residents of Nantwich are not there to subsidise stall and business holders. A business either stands on its own feet or collapses.
Sadly some of my fellow residents need to get real. They are running businesses to make profit. That is great, but not at expense of the Council Tax Payer.
Many of us have done hours of charitable work. We do not expect fellow council tax payers to subsidise the cost.
It is time the Town Council and Cheshire East Council recognise it is not their money they are spending.
Money spent should bring genuine benefit to residents.
The Food Festival should run making an operating surplus.
The tax payer does not subsidise Marks and Spencer, Aldi or Morrisons.
So why should they subsidise any other retailer?
I disagree with this decision, it will undermine the entire financial model of the food festival. This festival is organised and run by a group of volunteers, no-one is paid a penny, and it is hard work, but done willingly for the benefit of Nantwich and it’s status as a visitor destination. I suspect the traders are already paying as much or even more than other similar festivals. So if the festival has to charge visitors for entry to make up the money it would have to move from the town centre, back to Mill island or somewhere further away, defeating one of the main objectives of showing off our lovely town and thus encourage repeat visits.
So unless another major sponsor comes forward I seriously doubt the festival can continue in town beyond this year if this decision stands.
CEC are a bunch of imbeciles. They mismanage the council finances, build white elephant car parks in the middle of town centres they’ve allowed to collapse and die….and then attempt to recover some of that disastrous financial mismanagement by charging a voluntary and not for profit organisation. I say boycott the CEC car parks so their income is zero then that’s what they can charge the food festival.
To those who say local businesses don’t benefit from the food festival – have you seen how busy the town is that weekend ? The festival is in the heart of town so businesses and pubs can benefit.
How stupid are they? They have just given planning permission for the crosville club to be demolished for a car park in Crewe no doubt charging less than the £11million white elephant car park just round the corner
CEC killing businesses
However attractive the Food Festival is in Nantwich. Council Tax payers should not be expected to subsidise the cost. Even if this is car parking.
Any commercial enterprise should be operated that it creates a surplus.
It is that simple.
Aldi does not ask the council for financial support, no other retailer does.
Lets start to get real in the tough world we live in. Lets recognise it may get worse.
Cheshire East Council and Nantwich Town Council need to adopt financial prudence and stop wasting tax payers money. This may be a small start.
Particularly, when you consider the rising costs of maintaining, managing, and enforcing our car parks.
How mealy mouthed can you get? CeC can’t even be bothered to maintain the roads. What maintenance do they do, i wonder, on the carparks?
If parking enforcement was taken seriously the council would be policing Nantwich Road and the environs where parking on Dundee yellow lines and blocking cycle lanes is absolutely the norm. I wonder why they don’t?
Absolutely the right decision and well done to CE. The organisers can stand the cost more than those who live locally of which not everyone attends the festival. Why subsidise the event , those traders etc wishing to sell their stuff are no different than our local independents who usually are not beneficiaries of the food festival
Cllr Goldsmith must be the most popular man in Cheshire East. Day after day we have a story here with him as the person making the awful decisions.