Dear Editor,
It is hard to believe but the present Labour-run Cheshire East Council is even worse than the previous Tory administration of Cllr Jones.
Let’s look at their record in Crewe, where Labour have a total monopoly of both Town and Borough Councillors.
Labour suspended car parking charges for the first three months of the lockdown……. but that had little impact because there was no real reason for people to come into town because virtually all the shops were closed.
Just when shops were allowed to open again, Labour re-introduced parking charges, which are the highest in the whole of Cheshire East, even though Crewe is the poorest town in the Borough.(Not forgetting that NINE other towns in the Borough have never had parking charges)
Why don’t Labour take action to correct this gross unfairness to the people of Crewe and Nantwich?
But it gets worse.
Just when the shops are re-opening again Labour decide to shut off streets in the town centre to make it more difficult for shoppers to access the town centre to use the shops.
On top of that the street closures made it difficult to impossible for the disabled to use disabled parking bays.
And on top of that, this is just one of many complaints on social media.
“Tried the pay and display car parks at CEC, not only have CEC shut most machines so those few shoppers who are there have to queue but they refuse cash and most shoppers can’t use the slow machine without someone else having to give instructions; does CEC want shoppers?”
But even that is not all.
Parts of Pyms Lane and Sunnybank Road have been permanently *closed* from May 31 this year and part of Middlewich Road is closed for bridge repairs.
Surely all these road closures should have been phased and not brought in at the same time………. and certainly not just when town centre shops were re-opening after the lockdown and are fighting to survive.
Even though all the Crewe Councillors are Labour, Labour seem to go out of their way to make things as difficult as possible for Crewe shoppers and Crewe retailers.
And why isn’t the totally Labour dominated Town Council speaking out against all these damaging decisions by Labour Councillors on the Borough Council?
They must be putting party loyalty before their duty to represent their constituents.
Stoke have not re-introduced parking charges, so why didn’t Labour in Crewe do the same?
‘Putting Crewe First’ says Labour should announce free parking across the Borough to encourage shoppers to come into the struggling town centres.
If in the future, the town centres are surviving better, then the Borough should only introduce car parking charges if ALL towns are treated the same.
It is not right that the people of Crewe and Nantwich have to pay for the upkeep of the car parks in towns where there are no charges.
Yours faithfully,
Cllr Brian Silvester
Leader
Putting Crewe First
Councillor Silvester needs to keep abreast of local news. Parts of Pyms Lane and Sunnybank Road have not been permanently closed , that will happen when the bridge work has been completed. Sunnybank is supposed to be open to residents only but obviously Bentley staff are still using it
Dont often agree with cllr sylvestor, but I do on this. This lot were elected on BIG promises they would “put right” all the tory misery, instead they have enforced their own misery!! I know where my vote goes next time, no more chances they’ve had it for me!????????