Providing two hours of free car parking in Congleton would have a loss implication for Cheshire East Council in the region of £108,000 per year according to the borough's deputy leader.

Speaking at today's (Tuesday) Cheshire East Council cabinet meeting, Congleton town councillor Robert Douglas (Liberal Democrat), who is also a member of the Congleton Traders WhatsApp group, expressed his dismay at Cheshire East's decision to reintroduce car parking charges.

Cllr Douglas said: "These have been particularly difficult times for businesses and traders across the whole country made even more difficult as a result of Covid-19.

"This is a critical time for our businesses as the lockdown has been eased, but just as our businesses in Congleton are encouraging customers back onto our high street they have been punished by Cheshire East Council through the reintroduction of car parking charges.

"Cheshire East councillors blame the UK government for being obliged to bring back the car parking charges so quickly because the government failed to keep to its commitment of fully refunding its shortfall of funding caused by Covid-19.

"I understand that Cheshire East are currently estimating that this shortfall in promised government funding is in the region of £50m. Residents and businesses in Cheshire East need to know what actions Cheshire East are taking to recover this shortfall in funding and what actions will they be prepared to take to cover these much-needed funds.

"Will Cheshire East commit if necessary, to take joint legal action with other councils who have similarly been let down by our government. No steps to recover this funding should be off the table because should Cheshire East Council suffer a financial loss on this scale as a result of broken promises by the government, the implications on the livelihoods of our residents and businesses would be extremely damaging.

"Finally, when Cheshire East recovers this shortfall of about £50m from the government, will the authority give our businesses, owners and traders in Congleton the assurances that they will provide two hours free parking in Congleton to help our businesses thrive, because without thriving businesses in our town, we cannot have a thriving community."

Responding to Cllr Douglas, Cllr Craig Browne, deputy leader of Cheshire East Council, said: "The issue you raised is quite right and of course Cheshire East Council is not at all unique in finding itself in this position.

"But the proposal for two free hours of parking in Congleton would have a loss implication for the council and the extent of that loss income implication is estimated to be in the region of £108,000 per year.

"Any decision to introduce two free hours free parking in Congleton may of course lead to wider consideration of the implications for the whole borough, because it's likely that other towns and parishes would likely expect a comparable dispensation in their areas as well.

"The initial reason for not allowing cash payments was to protect staff and also cash collection operatives and of course the car park users. We carried out an equality impact assessment, as going cashless was clearly going to affect two groups of protected characteristic groups, age and disability."

Cllr Browne stated that an initial assessment was done, which led to a fuller and wider equality impact assessment being carried out that was published on the borough's website and supported by their equality and diversity officer.

Cllr Browne concluded: "What we have done and will continue to do at all times is to keep the arrangements under review and as you will be aware, we have now reintroduced cash payments as well."

Cllr Sam Corcoran, leader of Cheshire East Council, asked Cllr Douglas to keep him informed regarding any other councils seeking legal action surrounding government shortfall funding.