“Unique” Stockport's congestion charge road through hell.

A unique combination of circumstances means that Stockport will become the North West’s most difficult town to work and live in if Manchester’s congestion charge kicks in as proposed in 2012.

“The M60 is the culprit – it will become the road through hell, because Stockport is probably the only town in the country that has a major motorway running through the middle of it,” said Jonathan Whittaker, Employment Law specialist at Cheshire law firm SAS Daniels.

“Simply working the wrong side of the trucks and traffic could cost somebody working on the inside of the M60 the price of a holiday each year – and that could be a major bargaining tool when choosing or offering a job.

“Most other towns are solidly inside or solidly outside the M60 – but the M60 is nothing like the dividing line in Stockport that it is in other areas, people frequently cross the motorway in the course of day-to-day life.

“The key issue is that most motorways divide town and country, or business and residential, but Stockport has busy and important retail sites, busy and important administrative centres and, of course, residential areas on both sides of the M60.

“People working in directly comparable jobs either side of the M60 will find themselves much better or much worse off overnight, simply by crossing the M60.

“Look at supermarkets, for instance: you have Tesco on the ‘inside’ and Asda the ‘outside’; you have local government offices both sides of the M60, you have directly competitive cars dealers within yards of each other, but different sides of the M60.

“There are potentially both customer and employee issues, will staff working at Tesco have to change their working hours to avoid charges, or, given that many staff are temporary or part-time, how will a congestion impact upon affect their income?

“If you consider B&Q, there is the issue of tradesmen collecting materials or equipment before the congestion charge kicks in, will B&Q have to open earlier, or stay open later? Will that affect employees’ conditions – working earlier or later?

“The M60 as a dividing line has not been thought through correctly – the impact will be far greater in Stockport than any other area in Greater Manchester.”

SAS Daniels has offices in Stockport, Macclesfield, Congleton, Bramhall and Chester.

Ends
Further information:
Iain Macauley or Megan Codling
07788 978800 / 07795 848586
im@pressrelations.co.uk / mc@pressrelations.co.uk / www.sasdaniels.co.uk

--Ends--

Further information: Iain Macauley or Megan Codling 07788 978800 / 07795 848586 im@pressrelations.co.uk / mc@pressrelations.co.uk / www.sasdaniels.co.uk