Fiona met with Middlewich shopkeepers last Saturday gravely concerned about the impact on trade due to barriers put up by Cheshire East Council which have blocked parking bays in the town centre. Fiona has contacted the Council informing Cheshire East them that ‘this is causing real consternation in towns right across my constituency.”

Meeting with Middlewich shopkeepers, Fiona said

“I cannot understand the merit of these barriers – people have enough common sense to move aside or across the road to observe the current two metre social distancing and the loss of parking has clearly been unnecessarily detrimental at a time when we need to do as much as we can to support small shops and local trade. In addition, MPs like myself have been pressing the Government to reduce the two metres to one metre which could happen any day now, making these structures even more superfluous.”

Adnan Ashraf of Middlewich News and Post Office said

“Last week after these were put up we lost a lot of business – a lot of our customers are elderly or disabled and need to park close by.”

Aiden Devaney of Devaney’s Butchers told Fiona Bruce MP

“These bollards blocking parking spaces right outside the shop have really badly affected business. People can’t be walking a distance in rain like we have had this week.”