Car park charging plan pauses for consultation

Uttoxeter Road (West) car park in Blythe Bridge could see charges introduced under the plans

Plans to start charging on car parks that are currently free across the Staffordshire Moorlands have been paused for three months so a consultation can be carried out.

The district council had estimated the move could generate an extra £103,750 each year by introducing charges at the sites.

However the move met with criticism, with some town and parish councils offering to take responsibility for their car park to ensure it remained free.

Now talks are to take place regarding the potential for community asset transfers - changing who manages or owns them - to the councils before charges are brought in.

Stephanie Akerman is chairwoman of Checkley Parish Council which is seeking an asset transfer for Old Road car park in Tean.

She said the village was struggling and police received "a lot of reports of a couple of our roads because they're consistently blocked and people struggle to get past".

District councillors who raised concerns at a scrutiny committee sent other measures to their authority's cabinet for approval.

They included a trial of automatic number plate recognition in three car parks, the introduction of a cashless car park and overnight charging at one car park.

Details of which car parks were chosen for trials were not published.

Council leader Mike Gledhill said: "When we started this process we said this is not an exercise for external consultants, this is something we can do ourselves.

"We are going to take soundings from councillors which we've done and then we're going to go into a trial phase where we get the evidence."

The district council's free car parks are:

• Angle Street, Leek

• Churnet View Road, Oakamoor

• Chapel Street, Forsbrook

• Uttoxeter Road (West), Blythe Bridge

• Uttoxeter Road (East), Blythe Bridge

• Carr Lane, Wetton

• Mill Hayes Playing Field, Biddulph

• Biddulph Grange Country Park, Biddulph

• Birchall Playing Fields, Leek

• Old Road, Tean

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations.