Parking charges in Cheshire West to be hiked by as much as two thirds

Cheshire West and Chester Council is set to raise rates for its car parks across the borough. The announcement comes as the council seeks to bridge a funding gap of GBP47 million over the next four years. The biggest percentage increase is at Delamere [1] Street car park, Chester [2], where the maximum stay increases by 66 per cent from GBP6 to GBP10.

The minimum stay of one hour will cost GBP3.50, up from GBP2.50; two hours will cost GBP5, up from GBP3; and the cost of a stay of up to six hours rises to GBP8.50 from GBP5. The only car park in the city not seeing an increase in prices is the New Market car park, where charges will stay the same up to four hours. Parking of up to six hours will cost GBP8.50, down from up to five hours at GBP9.50, and parking over six hours will cost GBP10, down from over five hours at GBP13.50.

READ: Cause of carbon monoxide leak identified as ice rink cleared to reopen | Planet Ice in Widnes closed on November 12 after ice hockey team Widnes Wild said "several people" had reportedly fallen ill after a match[3] READ: Hairdresser robbed at knifepoint at Cheshire salon [4] | The woman was not harmed, but police said she was left "shaken" The new charges for Chester's car parks are listed in full below.

Elsewhere in the borough, charges will be increased by a flat 30p at paid car parks in Ellesmere Port [5], Northwich [6], Helsby [7] and Frodsham [8]. A full list of car parks affected by the flat 30p increase is listed below. A council briefing seen by CheshireLive suggests Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC) had planned to implement the charges on December 14 as recently as yesterday.

The briefing, addressed to council members and dated November 23, blames "the Council's current unprecedented financial situation, where we are facing a budget deficit of GBP47 million over the next four years, as well as inflationary cost pressures," for the price hikes. Cllr Gaynor Sinar, Shadow Cabinet Member for Finance and Legal said the charges "will have a negative impact on town and city trading, and could have a negative impact on businesses." Cllr Sinar, Tory councillor for Davenham, Moulton and Kingsmead, added: "I knew this was inevitable.

I was the one that handed over the 7,600 signature petition in Northwich against parking charges [in 2016], and although they said it was only 20p, I knew it was the thin end of the wedge and it was inevitable that they would rise. "Since the charges came in, a lot of the shops have shut down. They can blame it on what they like, but parking charges don't help."

Cllr Sinar called on the council to look at making "efficiencies" in its property portfolio, adding: "I have concerns that the next step might be raising the green bin tax, for instance, because they've started that at a level, and is that the next thing to go up?" Labour's Northwich Witton councillor Sam Naylor said: "We have got a GBP47 million projected deficit over the next four years, and we're going to make savings, or cuts. Whichever way you look at it, it's going to reduce the services that we deliver now, one way or another.

"There's no other way of doing it. There will probably be jobs lost through natural wastage and that type of thing, and I think we're going to be advertising for people to consider early retirement." Cllr Naylor added: "It's pretty dire, and it's dire all over the country.

A number of councils have already effectively gone bust, and Cheshire West and Chester are not in the parlous state that a lot of other councils are. We're still well-managed financially, and we're determined that we will balance the books. "When you look at these charges, they've never been increased since they were introduced five years ago, and that was purely a response to ongoing austerity.

It's time to revisit it, and that's the increase that officers have come up with." Cllr Naylor said the cost of social care was putting particular pressure on the council's budget, but added that the administration was committed to protecting core physical services. He said: "We as a Labour administration in Cheshire West and Chester have said we will protect leisure centres and libraries at all costs; because, once you start closing leisure centres and libraries you're on a slippery slope, and your focus on health and wellbeing goes straight out the window."

A CWAC spokesperson said: "In order to support businesses and residents during the busy festive period, Cheshire West and Chester Council [9] will be reducing car parking charges at Chester market car park from 14 December for stays over four hours. "We will be phasing the implementation of an increase in car parking charges at other car parks in the borough, where charges apply, with effect from January 17, 2024. "These changes are being phased to support shoppers and businesses during the Christmas period.

Parking charges in the borough have not been increased in line with inflation for many years, and in some cases for over 10 years."

Full list of planned car park charges in Chester

Car Park and charging hours (all Monday to Sunday) Existing charges New charges

Brook Street Chester

24hrs Up to 1 hour - GBP1

Up to 2 hours - GBP2 Up to 4 hours - GBP3 Up to 6 hours - GBP4

Over 6 hours - GBP5 Arrivals after 6pm - GBP1.50 Up to 1 hour - GBP1.50

Up to 2 hours - GBP2.50 Up to 3 hours - GBP3.50 Over 4 hours - GBP4.50

Arrivals after 6pm - GBP1.50 Delamere Street Chester

24hrs Up to 1 hour - GBP2.50 Up to 2 hours - GBP3

Up to 3 hours - GBP3.50 Up to 4 hours - GBP4 Up to 5 hours - GBP4.50

Up to 6 hours - GBP5 Up to 7 hours - GBP5.50 Over 7 hours - GBP6

Arrivals after 6pm - GBP3 Up to 1 hour - GBP3.50 Up to 2 hours - GBP5

Up to 4 hours - GBP6.50 Up to 6 hours - GBP8.50 Over 6 hours - GBP10.00

Arrivals after 6pm - GBP3 Garden Lane Chester

24hrs Up to 1 hour - GBP1 Up to 2 hours - GBP2

Up to 4 hours - GBP3 Up to 6 hours - GBP4 Over 6 hours - GBP5

Arrivals after 6pm - GBP1.50 Up to 1 hour - GBP1.50 Up to 2 hours - GBP2.50

Up to 3 hours - GBP3.50 Over 4 hours - GBP4.50 Arrivals after 6pm - GBP1.50

Little Roodee Chester

24hrs Cars

Up to 12 hours - GBP5 Over 12 hours - GBP8 Arrivals after 6pm - GBP1.50

Buses, Coaches and vehicles over 3.5t Up to 3 hours - GBP5.50 Up to 6 hours - GBP8

Up to 12 hours - GBP10.00 Arrivals after 6pm - GBP5 Cars

Up to 12 hours - GBP6 Over 12 hours - GBP9 Arrivals after 6pm - GBP1.50

Buses, Coaches and vehicles over 3.5t Up to 3 hours - GBP6.50 Up to 6 hours - GBP9.00

Up to 12 hours - GBP11.00 Arrivals after 6pm - GBP5 New Market Parking

Chester

24hrs Up to 1 hour - GBP3.50 Up to 2 hours - GBP5

Up to 4 hours - GBP6.50 Up to 5 hours - GBP9.50 Over 5 hours - GBP13.50

Arrivals after 6pm - GBP4 Up to 1 hour - GBP3.50 Up to 2 hours - GBP5

Up to 4 hours - GBP6.50 Up to 6 hours - GBP8.50 Over 6 hours - GBP10

Arrivals after 6pm - GBP4 Trinity Street Chester

24hrs Up to 1 hour - GBP3 Up to 2 hours - GBP4.50

Up to 4 hours - GBP6 Up to 6 hours - GBP8 Over 6 hours - GBP10

Arrivals after 6pm - GBP2 Up to 1 hour - GBP3.50 Up to 2 hours - GBP5

Up to 4 hours - GBP6.50 Up to 6 hours - GBP8.50 Over 6 hours - GBP10

Arrivals after 6pm - GBP2 Watergate Chester

24hrs All day - GBP5 Arrivals after 6pm - GBP1.50

All day - GBP6 Arrivals after 6pm - GBP1.50

Full list of car parks in Cheshire West to see flat 30p price hike

Ellesmere Port: Civic Centre, Town Centre, Westminster, Shrewsbury Road, Marina Drive, Hooton. Northwich: Memorial Hall, Victoria Club, Watermans, Verdin, Market, Cumberland.

Frodsham and Helsby: Frodsham Station, Moor Lane, Station Avenue.

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References

^ Delamere (www.cheshire-live.co.uk)
^ Chester (www.cheshire-live.co.uk)
^ Cause of carbon monoxide leak identified as ice rink cleared to reopen (www.cheshire-live.co.uk)
^ Hairdresser robbed at knifepoint at Cheshire salon (www.cheshire-live.co.uk)
^ Ellesmere Port (www.cheshire-live.co.uk)
^ Northwich (www.cheshire-live.co.uk)
^ Helsby (www.cheshire-live.co.uk)
^ Frodsham (www.cheshire-live.co.uk)
^ Cheshire West and Chester Council (www.cheshire-live.co.uk)
^ Sign up for CheshireLive email direct to your inbox here (www.cheshire-live.co.uk)