Have your say on plans to introduce evening and Sunday parking charges

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A consultation has launched on proposals to introduce evening and Sunday parking charges in Cheshire East.

Cheshire East Council's statutory public consultation, which applies to most council-owned car parks across the borough, runs until 9 October 2024.

The council is proposing to extend charges at its car parks to 10pm, and to charge on Sundays – the tariffs for which would be in line with the rates for the rest of the week.

Councillor Mark Goldsmith, chair of Cheshire East Council's highways and transport committee, said: "All our car parks need maintenance, management, and enforcement and the financial impact of this doesn't pause after a certain time or on Sundays.

"The related costs are significant and continue to rise. As a council, we are facing huge financial challenges – with a forecast funding gap of £100m over the next four years.

"The proposals we are now consulting on will help to reduce some of that financial burden.

"It could potentially provide up to £2m over the next four years to support other council services, such as highways maintenance, bus services and active travel schemes. Therefore, we cannot ignore this option, and so are consulting on the idea."

The consultation follows approval given by the council's highways and transport committee in January this year.

A final decision on evening and Sunday charging will be subject to the outcome of the consultation.

Click here to view the proposals.

To respond to the consultation, email [email protected] and use 'Variation 12' as the email subject header.

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Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

Gordon Hyslop
Wednesday 28th August 2024 at 5:25 pm
No point they don’t listen just produce an expensive report from the submissions, no doubt complied by £1000 / day consultants, they will do it anyhow He mentions the financial burden on the council with no regard for the residents or the small businesses that will loose trade as people will go to Handforth Dean etc for free parking
Laurie Atterbury
Wednesday 28th August 2024 at 6:50 pm
You really can see that CEC have mismanaged our taxes and are near bankruptcy; pathetic.
Raymond James Wallace
Wednesday 28th August 2024 at 7:38 pm
Cheshire East has finally put the last nail in the coffin, they seem to be obsessed with bringing Wilmslow to its knees, putting up parking charges only brings problems with parking on pavements and streets, it’s constantly robbing Peter to pay Paul, the penny never seems to drop with them.
Simon Atkins
Wednesday 28th August 2024 at 7:49 pm
Gordon cheshire east have never cared about residents or trade.
Sandy Martin
Wednesday 28th August 2024 at 8:36 pm
Why not
Fran Kennerley
Thursday 29th August 2024 at 4:41 am
£m consultation to assess £2m benefit? Our inept, wasteful council just dips its hands into residents pockets again, damaging the local economy further, all due to their own financial incompetence (revolving door of CEOs payoff/hire/payoff/hire) & social services waste as a prime example.
Brian Hall
Thursday 29th August 2024 at 5:37 am
Piling the errors the council had made onto the residents. Already Wilmslow is becoming a poor place in which to shop. Shops closing and premises lying empty for months. The council seems to be able to spend money on external consultants which implies they don't have the skills to cope with financial issues. as an aside why are they painting large 30 MPH signs on the road past the Ryleys playing fields having already spent a lot of money on the 20 MPH restriction humps going into Alderley Edge??
Alan Brough
Thursday 29th August 2024 at 8:41 am
I guess that they're legally obliged to conduct a public consultation but, like Green Bin Waste, the consultation is pointless because, despite the fact that most respondents will heartily object, it's a done deal.

Perhaps its another initiative thought-up by the Interim S151 Finance Director who's paid £1300 per day to look at why CEC is losing money....you have to pay for the talent!
Pete Wright
Thursday 29th August 2024 at 9:40 am
Every right thinking person knows this is a ridiculous proposal, (which will generate minimal income and require a costly warden(s) to patrol the car park during the evenings .... unless it's enforced by the dreaded CCTVs of course), sadly right thinking people seem to be short supply within Cheshire East Council
Jean Berman
Thursday 29th August 2024 at 10:02 am
Rest in peace Wilmslow town centre
Caroline Barker
Saturday 31st August 2024 at 10:35 am
I fail to see how this would encourage people to come to Wilmslow, for the Rex, the Symphony Orchestra, the plays at the leisure centre, or the new food festival.
Peter Bradley
Tuesday 3rd September 2024 at 2:42 pm
Will this apply to every car park owned or managed by CEC, or just selected ones?
Nick Jones
Wednesday 4th September 2024 at 11:35 am
Having ignored every previous 'consultation' .... just get on with the imposition ... and the consequences.... The voting public aren't fools... they know when they are being hoodwinked and taken for a ride by elected officials... The public giveth and the public taketh away ...
Drew Donaldson
Wednesday 4th September 2024 at 5:33 pm
Exactly Peter. This may be a Cheshire East wide consultation but methinks it will be the Wilmslow cash cow that is milked.
Chris Neill
Thursday 5th September 2024 at 6:16 am
Civil servants continuously dream up ill thought out impositions to irritate and disrupt people’s lives further. The councillor says it “ could” generate £250 k
p.a.more income. It “ could.” ? …it won’t ! People will change their habits.
M and S have half an hour free, so does the Co oP, and Waitrose car park has 2 hours. That little window of freebies after 6 and Sundays is a big help , especially to older people, who in the winter, have to go from the car to a ticket machine in the rain, sleet, dark, fumble about with cold hands and buy a ticket, then back to the car etc etc.
There are better ways than this to not only save money, but earn some. Why not ask the locals who would give experienced advice for free, no consultants fees.