New ‘necessary’ parking charges launches today impacting over 400,000 Britons
Drivers have been warned of new parking charges which have come into force today impacting thousands of drivers across the North West.
The changes have been rolled out by Cheshire East Council and affect all council-owned car parks across the borough with new parking charges now introduced.
The move will see most car parks which currently offer free parking end and become cashless facilities, requiring payment via debit card, credit card or through the RingGo mobile app.
The council did confirm that at least one car park in every town will continue to accept cash payments to ensure accessibility for all residents.
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The move comes as part of wider changes to the council’s parking management strategy, which includes an extended residents’ permit scheme for those without access to off-street parking.
Councillor Mark Goldsmith said: “While we recognise these new parking arrangements have caused some concerns; they are necessary to ensure all our towns are treated in a fair and equal way.”
The council currently pays around £900,000 annually in business rates for its car parks, with 70 per cent retained by central Government.
“Each year, the cost of maintenance, management, and enforcement for all our car parks is considerable, and the costs continue to rise,” Goldsmith added.
The changes form part of a wider council transformation aimed at reducing spending by £100million over the next four years.
The revenue created by removing free parking measures will help support other council services, including highways maintenance and bus routes.
To help mitigate the impact of these changes, the council has introduced several support measures.
A residents’ off-street parking permit scheme has been extended to cover more areas across the borough.
Eligible residents can apply for up to two permits per property, priced at £80 for the first permit and £95 for the second.
During term time, some car parks will not begin charging until after 9am on weekdays to accommodate school drop-offs.
The council also confirmed that free parking will continue at smaller car parks where installing pay and display machines would not be cost-effective.
Potential displacement of vehicles onto residential streets will be monitored, with further consultations planned for additional mitigation measures where needed, the council explained.
Cash payments will continue to be accepted at key locations across the borough, including South Street in Alderley Edge and Duke Street in Macclesfield.Other cash-friendly sites include the Fairview car park in Alsager, Cheshire Street in Audlem, and both Community Centre and Station Approach in Disley.
In Crewe, the Victoria Centre car park will maintain cash payment options, while Congleton’s Princess Street and Antrobus Street facilities will do the same.
Additional locations accepting cash include car parks in Knutsford, Middlewich, Sandbach, and both long and short stay areas at South Drive in Wilmslow.
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Goldsmith added: “Once the changes have come into effect, we will continue to monitor the situation closely across the borough so that interventions can be made where necessary.
“The extended consultation process carried out last year identified some residents that are without a driveway and also live on roads that have extensive parking restrictions.
These residents have instead been using nearby free council car parks to park their vehicles.”