Apologies if this has already been posted.

New car parking charges

Standardised parking rates across all Wirral Council car parks come into force from next month.

From the end of March, funding for the ‘Free After 3’ parking scheme runs out and the Council has decided not to continue with this offer. That means that people parking in Council-run car parks after 3pm will have to pay at the appropriate parking rate.

http://www.wirral.gov.uk/news/22-03-2013/new-car-parking-charges

heres the whole letter

Standardised parking rates across all Wirral Council car parks come into force from next month.

The changes bring parking charges in places like West Kirby, Heswall and Liscard in line with charges that are currently in place in Birkenhead town centre municipal car parks.

That means that the first hour of parking in a Council-run car park will be £1.05 from 8th April 2013. In many of the car parks, it will be £1.65 to park for up to two hours, up to three will be £2.05, up to four hours the price will £3.40 and up to five will be £4.10. Any period over five hours will be £8.

There are some exceptions to this tariff. At the long stay car park in Upper Mount Avenue in Heswall, for example, the first two hours of parking will cost £1.05, and anything longer than that will be charged at an all-day rate of £4.10.

In the long-stay car parks in Birkenhead - Woodside Approach, Elgin Way, Hinson St, Duncan St and Quarry Bank Street – it will be £1.05 to park for up to one hour or £4.10 for all day.

At the Price Street car park, at the back of Conway Street railway station, prices will be £1.05 for up to one hour, £1.65 to park for up to two hours, up to three will be £2.05 and £2.90 to park all day.

In addition, in the long-stay, on-street pay and display bays around Birkenhead, the Council is introducing a reduced £2.50 all day parking rate. People will also be able to purchase an annual permit to park in these spaces at a cost of £570 per year, with an option to pay monthly.

Cllr Harry Smith, Wirral Council Cabinet member for Streetscene and Transport Services, said: “We believe it is was unfair to charge such different rates for car parking across Wirral and we therefore took the decision, in putting together the budget for 2013-14, to standardise charges in car parks at the current rate for Birkenhead car parks.

“I appreciate that people will see the cost of parking their car in some parts of the borough rise considerably as a result of the change, but we believe having standardised charges across Wirral is the right and fair way to go in the longer term.

“At the same time, I believe reducing the ‘all day’ charges in Birkenhead on-street long stay bays to £2.50 will make these spaces more competitive with private operators in these areas.”

From the end of March, funding for the ‘Free After 3’ parking scheme runs out and the Council has decided not to continue with this offer. That means that people parking in Council-run car parks after 3pm will have to pay at the appropriate parking rate.

Where do they get the 5p from????? Either round it up or round it down...pain in the arse if you've not got a 5p...not like the council give you your change back!!!

Final nail in the coffin for Birkenhead I think.

I never shop at Birkenhead because of this.

Idiotic behaviour supported by vanilla flavoured, anodyne, ungulant thought processes

K

There goes Liscard and Birkenhead town centre's for the car, rip, hope the council will still allow buses to at least go past them, car friendly Wirral council NOT, you get what you vote for.

birkenhead shops are crap anyway,no shops for lads gear

Thieves

that means more cars parking in residential streets that don't have residents only.going to be hard when I go to my mum & dads as they live in town,supposed to be access only not like anyone takes any notice.

I know we've had it good for a long time, but that means West Kirby has gone from 40p for two hours to £1.65! That's the car park next to two Doctors surgeries, the library/pool/sports hall. I used to use it a lot after 3pm as well - so now we'll all be crawling around WK looking for street parking, or else getting hefty fines from Morrisons and Aldi for outstaying our welcome. Bur really, a jump from 30p to £1.05 when you are feeling poorly enough to visit your doctor? The Concourse insists that you have to book in for any exercise class 15 minutes early, so you have to have 2 hours for any one hour session.

The only time I use asda in Birkenhead is after 3, before then I use either Arrow Park or Bromborough. Better shops on the croft/oaks, so looks like I won't be shopping in Birkenhead from know on

Not a word of a lie, it`s been over 10 years since I went to Birkenhead shopping and must be about 8 years since I went to Liscard. A lot cheaper sometimes from on line shopping and delivered to your door, no petrol Used and no parking fees spent. Blood pressure down, because of no road rage. Tis all good.

Hello Ellesmere Port !!!!! Bye bye wirral , the chumps in power are killing off the town ,no word from Angela eagle or frank , because they don't live in the wirral .

Zippers got the right idea

Birkenhead is dead now this blinkered council cant see past there noses. for every pound gained how much are shops going to lose in lost revenue .They then close down council loses out due to lost rates all for the sake of putting up parking charges.
rant over

They know how to help crucify businesses. There is one council in Lancashire, (for the life of me, I cannot remember which one) who stated this week, that they have reduced their parking fees to 10p. Results....brought far more shoppers who are spending longer in the town centre.
Makes sense but, in our case there's no sense where there's no feeling!

Does it also include the car park in Bromborough behind the British Legion I wonder? I didn't see it listed

My thought too. You can park for free if you're prepared to walk a little way, but it's not fair on the elderly and those with prams, etc.

Mold is 20p carparking, and it's always busy considering it's a small market town, Widnes is free and is buzzing, it has all the big supermarkets and the small shops, yes those things that are dieing out busy as well, Ellesmere Port is where we do our shopping, 50p 2hours and free after 3:00pm it is also buzzing except McDonalds have closed I suspect because of Cheshire Oaks going from big to massive, with a new M&S supermarket, Chester Greyhound is also good, Chester centre, they have killed the parking at Northgate, yes I do get about when I get chance.

Serious question; would £1 really stop people going somewhere they normally go?!

£1?!

I wonder if they will start charging at the car park outside the Wallasey town hall because as they said “I appreciate that people will see the cost of parking their car in some parts of the borough rise considerably as a result of the change, but we believe having standardised charges across Wirral is the right and fair way to go in the longer term.

Doubt very much they will charge at that one, due to it being used by all the council employees.
Perk of the job?


http://www.wirral.gov.uk/news/22-03-2013/new-car-parking-charges

I was wondering the same myself. Surely the cost of driving to places like Cheshire Oaks or the Trafford Centre is a lot more than a pound?

business rates are payable for empty properties above RV£2600
thats why councilors do not give a shit about shops or businesses, there perfect senario would be town center all empty so running costs would be minimal

Last time I was down Grange rd it was an unkempt craphole,taxes have been paid for the car and shops and even our houses, the land you park on is supposed to belong to the people, the councillors are not doing the job they got voted for, to help all and the area, that also means to help business get footfall into the shops and markets the more people who go to the shops the more money will be available to go around and in consequence more employment, the council is supposed to try and get variety in the shopping area not just clothes, they have failed in everything they touch, Wirral has nothing that's worth spending £1 an hour to look at,I'm talking shops here, if you want to waste a £1 great leave it to you , I will go elsewhere including the Oaks where parking is free and the area is clean, with top shopping and lots more footfall.

The Chamber of Commerce has not had a Town Centre Manager for the last five year, according to the article linked. No worries, "all will be well", so far as one of our councillors are concerned, looks like we have to wait for Wirral Waters though. Patience is a virtue!!

http://www.wirralnews.co.uk/wirral-...ent-of-beating-recession-80491-32798264/

"Quote":
“Shopping patterns are changing and it’s a sad fact of life that stores like HMV are suffering because of it.”

Cllr Pat Hackett, Wirral Council’s cabinet member for regeneration and planning strategy, said initiatives like Wirral Waters would boost Birkenhead.

He said: “There is no doubt that these are difficult economic times, but we are confident that Birkenhead will continue to benefit from the kind of support that the council and other agencies are putting in.

“Birkenhead has become a Town Team Partnership and has received £10,000 of Government funding through the Department of Communities and Local Government along with a range of other support measures offered by the Association of Town Centre Management "Unquote"

So far as I can see its' all just words , yet again. Still nobody asks what happened to the £10,000,000 the council had given to them for investement in Birkenhead, over ten years ago!!

These car parks are not only used by shoppers, they are also used by people who work during the day. That is one heck of a lot of extras for a week at work. Not only that but anyone who may wish to travel to Liverpool by bus,train, or ferry, will probably now drive across and park over there.
It hits everything and over the years that is why Birkenhead has been eroded. Little by little the little things have been changed and now, it's one big thing. Anyone who doesn't move out of their cosy corner in Wirral does not see what impact these differences have on the whole area of Wirral. People will find the next best option, no matter what. So if it's Cheshire Oaks as an option, you can't blame people for wanting to do their shopping there. It's the whole experience which counts!
If someone lives 6 miles out of Birkenhead, do they spend the money on petrol going into Birkenhead, or do they spend it going in an opposite direction,for 6 miles. The extra mileage would probably be covered by not paying parking fees.

Fair point there, Granny. My solution (but it may not be too popular with a lot of people) would be to reduce the cost of parking in town centres like Birkenhead and Liscard. At the same time, put a tax on car park spaces in out-of-town places such as Cheshire Oaks, the Trafford Centre and the Croft Retail Park. They suck the lifeblood out of towns, add to the congestion our roads and are only really suitable for those with cars.

So you would like to tax the private carparks that are already taxed by business taxes, we already pay taxes for our roads,it's time the council understood the money tree is near death, time for them act to save the area not tax others, everything we have now is double and triple taxed, time for the Councillors to retire and let others who may have some idea's help to get Wirral back from it's death throes, Wirral Waters is a dream, Peel's companies dream, it's a great idea but until we see any real building going on then it's a dream, the council are supposed to be our voted leaders put in to lead, haven't seen any leaders leading.

It depends where you work. Quite often I nip into Birkenhead after work for a bit of shopping because its free after 3pm.

If its going to cost me I'll just come home via Bromborough and go to the RP there instead.

Sorry to dig up an old thread but I was in Asda Car Park in Birkenhead. All the signs still say free after 3, and I was then told by a very nice person in the car park the carpark/ticket people finish at 7pm.

Typical of this council not removing the free after three signs trying to catch people out who don't know that you have to pay allday

I've seen the stickers removed or covered over at other sites.

Don't forget that the Asda car park is split into two - one managed by the council, the other by a private parking company.

you still have to pay if you shop at ASDA but you get a voucher to get your money back if you spend £5.00 or over

That's very similar to the system in many cities in the U.S.A. where you have to have your parking ticket "validated" by a shop. usually used in large shopping malls.

They do this at the Asda at Warrington Cockhedge, you put your ticket through a machine at the checkout and if you spend over £5 then you don't have to pay for your parking.