Cheshire East – run by Labour and Independents – have recently started charging again at some car parks, having suspended charges due to the coronavirus situation. While this does not directly affect Poynton, several local residents have complained to us that the ticket machines at car parks in Macclesfield, Wilmslow and other towns no longer accept cash. Not everyone has a bank card or smart phone. Your Conservative councillors have protested about this.
The argument that coins might transmit the virus is unconvincing, as most ticket machines now have sealed cashboxes, which are taken out and emptied back at the council’s offices, while virtually all large organisations use cash counting machines.
As the car park ticket machines still require drivers to enter their car number plate details using a keypad, Cheshire East are clearly not concerned about the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
