Local residents, councillors and Congleton's Member of Parliament have launched a petition against Cheshire East Labour and Independent’s plans to hike car park charges in the borough.
Cheshire East Council’s proposals include plans to “introduce parking charges in some car parks where parking is currently free” as well as increase existing charges in some areas.
Currently, there are free council-owned car parks in Alsager, Congleton and Sandbach. All of which have been used by residents following the global pandemic which impacted local businesses and civic centres.
Free and low-cost parking availability near our local town high streets brings an array of benefits, including attracting more people to the area, vital support for small businesses, and the creation of vibrant, accessible community spaces.
Congleton MP, Fiona Bruce raised the issue in the chamber of the House of Commons:
"Let me now turn to a less happy local issue, which rears its head periodically over the years and which first came to my attention even before I was elected, in 2010, as Member of Parliament for Congleton. I refer to the threat of the imposition of car parking charges in the towns of Alsager, Middlewich, Sandbach and Holmes Chapel.
"The argument being put forward by Cheshire East Council is based on rationalisation, but one size does not fit all. It is true that there are some places in Cheshire East where charges already apply, but larger towns such as Macclesfield, Crewe and even Nantwich are completely different from smaller communities such as Holmes Chapel, which is actually a village, and I strongly support residents’ objections to these proposals. We have fought this off before, and we can fight it off again.
"I therefore urge residents to lodge objections on the consultation section of the Cheshire East website, which opens tomorrow, 20 September, and closes on 1 November."
Residents are being asked to share their views on Labour and the Independent’s proposals by email to [email protected].
Full proposals can be viewed online but those without access to the internet have been demanded not to “simply turn up” to their local libraries where they can view the plans in printed format. This demand comes following a council decision in July to reduce the opening times of libraries.
Cheshire East Council has been led by Labour since 2019 propped up with the support of so-called independent councillors. This Labour-Independent decision is not the only cash-grab by Cheshire East Council, they have also mandated a 4.99% rise in Council Tax (the legal limit for a council tax increase) and the announcement of plans to charge users a £56 per year stealth tax to recycle using their own green bin.
