Local MP pleased Council will drop parking charges

2.16.48pm UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 4th Oct 2007

Dropping parking charges in Bramhall will discourage people from parking in local streets

Stockport Council has formally confirmed that it will be dropping the car park charges in the car park adjacent to Bramhall Station, the Health Centre and the Library, in Bramhall village.

The Council introduced the charges after improvements such as CCTV were made to the car park. However, as a result of their introduction some motorists started parking in adjacent roads and streets, such as Bramley Road, causing great inconvenience and concern to local residents living in the area.

Mark Hunter, MP for Cheadle, wrote immediately to Stockport Council, to make clear his opposition to the charges and asking for a review of the situation. In response to this the council agreed to temporarily lift the charges in the car park in April of this year whilst a thorough going review took place.

Following the review and despite cynical claims that the suspension of car parking charges was a short term fix for the local election period only, Mark and new local councillor Helen Foster-Grime successfully persuaded Stockport Council not to re-introduce the charges at all.

After this decision was announced Mark said: "I am extremely happy that this decision has been reached and that the Council agreed to my request to drop the car parking charges. Local Councillor Helen Foster-Grime and I, along with many local residents have lobbied right from the start against these charges, and I was always confident that the Council would come around to this view.

The decision really is common sense. It will be greatly advantageous to the local community, who need to be able to easily park near to the health centre, station and public library. Local residents have also been plagued by cars parking in front of their houses causing disturbance and taking up space, and they will be relieved that the council has reconsidered the introduction of the car parking charges and decided against them."