PARKING charges across Cheshire East must be made fairer, councillors have warned, after a new five-year plan hinted at more fees.

Members of Cheshire East Council approved the local authority’s local transport plan for up to 2024 at Thursday’s meeting.

The key document sets the agenda for improving sustainable transport links across the borough – with new cycleways, electric vehicle charging points, safe walking routes to school and bus rapid transit routes all key priorities.

But members across the political divide were alarmed by the plan’s suggestions for parking charges – which could include introducing fees on Sundays and at evenings for towns where there is a thriving night-time economy.

Cllr Peter Groves, Conservative, said: “Are we really going to make worshippers pay to pray [on Sundays]?”

Knutsford Guardian:

Councillors from Crewe and Nantwich said that parking charges in their towns are already the highest in the borough – and warned against adding further fees.

Cllr Suzanne Brookfield, Labour, said: “The area that has the highest levels of deprivation and socio-economic problems has the highest car parking fees.

“I would implore the decision makers – please, please, please do not implement any further charges to residents in those areas that already pay so much. It simply is not fair.”

Her concerns were shared by Cllr Arthur Moran, independent, who said it would be ‘unfair’ to charge people on Sundays and evenings – particularly those who use council car parks at night as they have nowhere else to park their car.

“I would hope that there will be some scrutiny of this at the appropriate time before some of the items in it are implemented in the budget,” he added.

Knutsford Guardian:

Cllr Rod Fletcher, Lib Dem, warned that the move could lead to more cars parking on residential streets.

And the disparity between towns with parking charges and those without was slammed by Cllr Sarah Pochin, Conservative, who claimed towns with free parking have an ‘unfair advantage’.

But Cllr Sam Corcoran, CEC’s Labour leader, insisted no decisions on parking charges have been made – and claimed the transport plan ‘isn’t a one-way street to increased charges’, with the possibility of quiet car parks becoming cheaper.

The council is now set to begin work on ‘town delivery plans’ over the next two years, which will look at how specific policies can be drawn up to fit with the local transport plan – including parking.

Independent Cllr Craig Browne, CEC’s deputy leader, added: “Parking tariffs and charges actually sit outside the scope of this report. It’s a policy framework document – not a delivery plan.

“Our intention would be to bring forward detailed proposals related to car parking tariffs based on detailed studies and the dynamics in each town.

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“This is something that would be consulted on anyway, on an annual basis, as part of the budget-setting process. It’s not something that would be detailed in this report.”

Members approved the plan by 29 votes to 19, with 23 abstentions.