OFFERING free parking for an hour could attract more shoppers into Wilmslow to help businesses hit by the cost of parking in the town.

So says Tatton MP Esther McVey, who said parking in Wilmslow was more expensive than other areas, which was deterring people from shopping in the town.

Not only were parking charges too high for customers, she said, but shopkeepers were having to pay large sums every day to park to work.

“One solution could be offering an hour’s free parking, which could increase footfall in the area, and it is an issue I will be discussing with Cheshire East Council,” she said.

“Businesses have really suffered throughout the pandemic and we need to be creative in ways to help them.

“By making a small change it could make a huge difference to the number of people they get through the door each day.

“As we recover we all need to support our local shops and businesses to help keep people in jobs and put money back into our local economy.”

She said with more people working at home parking spaces in Wilmslow were easier to come by, but the cost of parking remained a problem.

A survey carried out by Ms McVey showed parking was a major concern among everyone who took part.

They believed parking charges in the town were too high, and said charges, which were suspended during the national lockdown, were reinstated too soon.

Wilmslow town councillor Hannan Sarwar said: “Speaking to business it is very clear that the parking charges are impacting footfall. “Alarmingly, nearly all businesses felt the parking charges were too high. This is very concerning.

“In response to the survey, all respondents said more needed to be done to increase footfall in the town centre.

“It is clear more needs to be done. The businesses have set a clear directive about what they feel is needed, and as the Conservative group on Wilmslow Town Council we will be looking into ways in which we can enable this.”

Other issues raised by businesses including fixing the gate on Grove Street and ensuring it is closed between 10am and 4pm, tackling business rates and encouraging more shops to set up in the town.