Steve Shepheard
name: Steve Shepheard
lives: Hazel Grove
works: Stretford
travels by: car/ van
TIF vote: AGAINST
"We are a builders' hardware merchants and, in June 2004, relocated our business from Chorlton to Stretford to have easy access to the motorway.
"At Ashton's, we operate three vans that, under the proposals, will each be charged £2 in the morning leaving the M60 and travelling 0.5 mile to the warehouse and £1 each in the afternoon to travel back to the motorway: this adds up to £45 per week. My four employees will also have to pay £3 per day each which equates to £60 per week.
Therefore, the annual cost to the company and its employees would equate to £5,000 per annum.
"I also have a number of employees who have to travel to work by car and I'm concerned that they would have to find alternative employment because they will not have access to public transport and will not be able to afford to pay the congestion charge.
I have considered ways of how we can change our working hours and patterns but we are governed by building site hours: therefore, we cannot avoid the charge.
Congestion
"Our business has been deliberately situated outside Manchester and we are causing very little congestion, yet we are being asked to pay money that we cannot afford and cannot recoup. There are similar businesses who operate just outside the M60 which will not be affected and we will find it very difficult to compete with them.
"If the congestion charge goes ahead, we may be forced to move out of the area which would be a sad day after being in Manchester for 50 years."
Steve Shepheard
"I live in Hazel Grove. I make early morning deliveries on the way to work and will be forced to pay a congestion charge both on the way to work and when I go home, even though I go nowhere near the centre of Manchester.
"We already have an excellent train and bus service from my home in Hazel Grove to Manchester which my family uses for shopping and visiting Manchester for concerts etc and I fail to see how the congestion charge can make a significant improvement to what is already an excellent service."
Conclusion
"As I understand it, the congestion charge has very serious financial implications for my business and for my staff. We are already under tremendous pressure to reduce costs with the price of fuel etc and cannot afford to pay this charge and it is unjustified because we are causing no congestion in Manchester.
"The improvements to public transport will be of no benefit because I do not have an office-based job in Manchester and I cannot carry my goods on a tram or bus.
"I also strongly disagree with the proposed exemptions to the congestion charge ie. Trafford Park 50% reduction, taxis and the disabled etc. If I have no choice but to pay it so should everybody else. We are just a small business and are not strongly represented.
"As mentioned previously, I drive all the major routes towards Manchester in the rush hour, and they have become a lot quieter recently which I assume is because of the price of fuel. This demonstrates that we do not need the congestion charge to achieve this result.
"If the congestion charge goes ahead, we may be forced to move out of the Manchester area which would be a sad day after being in Manchester for over 50 years."
