CAR PARK CHARGES UNFORTUNATELY REINTRODUCED BY CHESHIRE EAST CABINET
It was announced at today’s Cabinet Meeting that Cheshire East car parking charges will be reintroduced from Monday 15th June, the same day local shops and businesses will re-open hoping to establish trade and save jobs.
Given the recent lengths taken to make town centres accessible and user-friendly ‘post lockdown’, it begs the question why have Cheshire East introduced a deterrent to potential customers? Would it have been too much to ask to postpone this a little longer to help aid local businesses and town centres to recover?
When asked today by the Conservatives about the timing of this decision, Cllr Laura Crane (Labour’s Cabinet Member for Highways), responded that the council needs to resume making profit on carparks as soon as possible.
However, it remains doubtful how much ongoing carpark revenue will there be to collect if local shops don't recover first. This decision has been poorly considered, creating a pointless squeeze on towns centres and SME's before the recovery even begins - a decision we oppose.