A Cheshire businessman has questioned why Cheshire East has made its car parks cashless, saying the council should be making it easier for people to spend money on their assets, not more difficult.

The council made its car parks across the borough cashless at the beginning of December, leaving just one in each town – which accept cash payments.

Richard Slater, managing director of Henbury Travel, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "The team and I are getting a lot of people who are panicking about whether they've done the parking correctly."

He said often his staff are late to work because they've been helping someone figure out how to use the parking app or pay by card.

Mr Slater said: "You wouldn't park on Duke Street in Macclesfield if you were going shopping. You would park in Whalley Hayes or the multi-storey or Churchill Way."

Fairview car park in Alsager before the car parking charges were introduced. (Photo: Nub News).

Regarding the multi-storey, Mr Slater said people had told him they had 'had a struggle getting into the multi-storey which is super-tight getting round the bends and into the parking spaces'.

He feared shoppers would soon be boycotting town centres if parking was so difficult.

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"If they're [council] cash-strapped, like they are, obviously they need to make it easy for people to spend money on their assets don't they?

"So effectively, by not having cash available, they are reducing their income," said Mr Slater.

He added if Cheshire East wanted to save money it should look at its own operations.

"I went to the station at six the other morning, I go once a month, and the lights at Macclesfield Town Hall, it was lit up like a Christmas tree at that time in the morning," he said.

When going cashless was discussed at the highways and transport committee meeting exactly a year ago, Cllr Craig Browne (Alderley Edge, Ind), who was then chair of the committee, had said: "For the more vulnerable road users I would have thought being able to pay from the comfort of one's own vehicle was infinitely preferable than standing in front of a pay and display machine juggling coins."

Mr Slater said already there have been examples of the app not working.

He added: "You're more likely to have your phone nicked or if you've got your credit card out [at a machine] than you would if you've got a pocket full of change wouldn't you?"

A report to last January's highways meeting said removing cash payments in all pay and display car parks would save the council about £100,000 annually.

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Mr Slater has already emailed a question to next month's meeting of the full council asking how much parking income has reduced since cash payments were removed.

He also wants to know, what research the council has undertaken to assess the potential damage to retail businesses in Macclesfield, as shoppers may be opting to shop at out-of-town outlets or online.