Cheadle and Gatley Lib Dems are moving
Your Lib Dem team for Cheadle West & Gatley Learn more
by Lib Dem team on 6 October, 2014
Stockport Council has been offering free parking in its car parks and on-street parking since the Lib Dems introduced it in 2007 for anyone driving a Band A car, which have been identified by the tax disc until now (these include electric vehicles, most hybrids and very low emission cars).
Following the Government decision to abolish tax discs, the Council will now offer a permit to those covered by the scheme at a nominal cost of £10 per year, in order protect the environment and encourage people to drive such cars.
If you still have a valid tax disc in your Band A car, you do not need the £10 permit to park for free in Council car parks and on-street in Stockport.
10 Comments
Whilst I am in favour of reducing emissions/pollution etc. It always bring a smile to my face when authorities give special concessions to hybrid and electric vehicles. First of all the electricity has to be generated to charge the batteries (admittedly some hybrids self charge). Secondly, and probably jet as important if not more so, there is never any mention of the pollution and environmental damage caused in the manufacture and eventual disposal of the materials used in the batteries. Just a thought.
Hi Robert – it’s an interesting area, and seems to be fast-developing too.
On the one hand, a big piece part of tackling air pollutants is their immediate effect on people, which dissipates quickly so reducing the pollution where people live has clear health benefits, even if pollution in a more remote area is increased as a result.
But it’s about more than just moving the pollution away from our area and making Stockport residents healthier. More and more electricity in the UK is being generated by sustainable means (there’s been a massive increase in the last few years) and as battery construction improves and becomes less polluting the overall benefits to moving to less polluting vehicles becomes greater.
There’s no easy answer to our need for power.
The so called “Green” power is, in my opinion, anything but that.
Not too sure that Drax Power Station’s burning of wood pellets that are grown and processed then shipped from the USA is actually reducing any pollution, rather the harvesting of the trees, the transport of the trees to the processing factories, then the factories that process the trees into pellets and the massive diesel powered ships that transport it to the UK have apparently been shown to have increased CO2 pollution compared to the coal that previously was burnt at Drax!. Drax also, years ago in the coal burning days, invested in a CO2 scrubber so their CO2 pollution was minimised. Probably, the least polluting, in CO2 terms, form of energy is nuclear, but who wants a reactor on their doorstep or some radioactive waste?
Also, all these wind farms – has anyone researched the impact on the environment of the massive bases of these behemoths, namely concrete? Concrete production is well known to produce vast quantities of CO2. The result is that us poor uk residents now pay through the nose (yet again!) for our so called “Green” electricity. It’s not green, or it’s a strange shade of green that can only be seen by our politicians keen to appease their bosses in the EU.
Not too keen on fracking either, but I can see the temptation to harvest that untapped power. Let’s do some fracking under Buckingham Palace, in Westminster and Downing St and see if that gets the go ahead from their local workers and residents!
I do not have a solution, but we still have a lot of coal, if the scrubbing and resultant lowered pollution is acceptable.
The reason for ‘green’ cars is also to improve local air conditions, not just reducing greenhouse emissions. As for batteries, hybrid batteries are not the usual lead acid batteries you get in regular cars, they are considerably less toxic, plus if you believe the owner’s manual they are almost 100% recycleable (unlike lead acid batteries), and more reliable (hence the very long warranties). And one well known car company makes the hybrid batteries for their UK-made cars in the UK so shipping miles are low.
You will probably find that if someone is eco-aware enough to buy a hybrid or electric car then they will also buy their electricity from a supplier that only buys from 100% renewable sources. They do exist, and they are often cheaper than the mainstream companies, believe it or not (who tend to buy themselves out). Yes, it all comes from the same grid, but the supplier you pay only buys renewables. And renewables don’t have to be wind power – 5% of the UK power is from hydroelectric alone, and tidal power is just about to take off.
Congratulations to your team. You are the first team of Libs to publish the correct info regarding the free parking for Band A car users. I recently contacted your colleague Mr Candler, my local man, who although being the man in charge of this section was unsure as to what exactly on offer, I questioned him as to when this concession was first issued he stated 1997!! but since in a letter retracted and amended it to 2007. my gripe here is which Martin appears to not take on board is that since 2007 a facility to park free has been in place but and this is a big but – it never appeared on any parking pay and display cash machine so I wonder how many people with band A cars have paid to park. Do you know why this has never been included on the machines? – each time the price increases, the machines are visited and the tariffs are amended!!
Martin stated that the council will be reviewing the scheme in the next 6 months , so what will happen to people who buy a permit and then find the the scheme is withdrawn, refunds pro rata ??.
I have a copy of the hazel grove teams newsletter and they are also misleading public stating that “free parking is now available for any low or zero emission car, on payment of a £10 annual fee for a pass” but some of us know that isn’t quite true. May I suggest that you take the lead and educate all your colleagues in the Stockport area regarding the whole of this matter and maybe publish a good sized article in all the local rags then I am sure that you will be able to stand proud of your parties achievement and hopefully not give the other parties food for thought when planning their campaigns in the forthcoming elections.
Yes I have a Band A car in question but will continue to display the tax disc
Parking is such an emotive subject and coupled with connections to local authorities, this could be a hot potato.
What I don’t understand about the LEV concession is why there is an annual charge for a permit. Don’t get me wrong, £10 is nothing considering a year’s “free” parking but it’s the principle as if I had an old tax disc I could display it for years and it would be acceptable as identification. I would understand having to pay perhaps if I lost the permit or it became unreadable but it just seems another way to take from us.
I work in Stockport and bought a tax band A car because I was spending a considerable amount on car parking charges. I will be better off each month, even with the £10 charge but as I say, it’s the principle.
Hi Tracey, the £10 charge is purely to cover the cost of administering the scheme.
I have had a low emission hybrid for 2 years now and did not know about the free parking until I just bought another one and found a leaflet in the car telling me.
The thing is probably not viable because, I only go into Stockport occassionly, though it would be good locally.
I am a senior citizen and to pay £10 yearly is not value for me, in fact the license would probably be costing me more than I would spend on the machines. How about OAP’s no charge at all?
I’m sorry, but anyone who can afford a hybrid car can afford £10 a year!
Our offices are soon to move in to the city center so I am considering buying a £0 tax car to take advantage of the free parking. I have recently heard that the scheme is to be abolished around Christmas 2016. Is this true?