Stockport Council has been urged to pause its plans for new charges at some of its free car parks – with councillors calling for an investigation into 'procedural failures' in the roll out of the scheme.

A list of 25 car parks was drawn up where drivers will have to pay the new fees, in a move agreed at the council's budget meeting in February 2024 which was passed after a vote with all elected members.

Since then, the scheme has appeared before area committees, where councillors have had the chance to share their thoughts on the charges and the chosen car parks before they are introduced.

But a group of councillors are now demanding the fees – which have not yet been brought in – be paused until 'fundamental' issues in the scheme are addressed.

It includes claims of the council 'withholding' information about why each car park was chosen for 'nearly 12 months' before being revealed, and the 'very late submission of reports, appendices and supplementary information' about the work.

During a meeting on September 11, councillors in the central Stockport area committee voted to request the delay and investigation.

The work to bring in the new charges at the car parks is being overseen by Cllr Grace Baynham, the council's cabinet member for transport.

Some Stockport councillors have called for the introduction of parking charges to be delayed (Image - Caspar Rae / Unsplash)

Cllr Christine Carrigan, leader of the opposition Labour group, said the Lib Dem administration 'likes to talk about collaboration and working constructively, transparency – it's lip service, I've had enough.'

When the move was agreed in 2024's budget, it was expected to save the council nearly £300,000 in a parking review.

But some councillors said they have been left feeling 'miffed' with how the scheme has progressed since then.

Cllr Matt Wynne was another member who raised concerns during the meeting on September 11.

He said councillors in Edgeley had put forward ideas for which car parks could be used in the scheme – but claimed another site was chosen instead, and that he only found out about this through a council report rather than communication.

"What's it all about?" he asked. "I appreciate it's a cabinet member's prerogative and they can drive through these decisions, but it's insulting.

"Are we incapable of picking up a telephone now, or typing a quick email?

"I think to say it's underhand is a strong word, because it's the cabinet member's prerogative, but it's disrespectful really to us as local decision makers and the people we represent, and also the time we took out to get that support and work with the cabinet member to find a way through this, it's disregard really."

A list of 25 car parks was drawn up for charges in Stockport (Image - Nub News)

In June, a council officer said it is expected that the new charges will be rolled out before the end of the year.

A council report in January showed the proposed new charges starting at 50p for an hour rising to £2.40 for ten hours.

Permits could be brought in alongside the charges for eligible residents living near one of the car parks.

Cllr Baynham defended the charges during a previous council meeting in July, when asked about releasing information on why each car park was chosen.

She said at the time: "This is an ongoing piece of work, we've been working on this spreadsheet since the start of the process, it has been requested and we've provided it."

Looking at the wider picture, Stockport council's finances are under major pressure, with the town hall warning this week that 'difficult decisions' need to be made in its future budget proposals to balance the books.

A report revealed that the council has to find savings of £63m up to 2029/30.

Last year, it had to make £26m of savings, which led to a 4.99 per cent council tax increase and the introduction of a £59 yearly charge for those who want to continue garden waste collections in their green bins.

Blue bin collections for paper recycling were also changed from fortnightly to monthly as part of the cost-cutting measures.

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