Parking for students at University Centre Shrewsbury (UCS) costs too much!

UCS is a combined venture by University of Chester and Shropshire Council. The carpark in front of the building is a public carpark owned by Shropshire Council. Despite the carpark and the original concept being from by the same organisation, there seems to be no interest in helping UCS grow.

The current rates are at £0.70 for an hour to park in the car park and sessions being spread out throughout the day, which can lead to paying the day rate of £5.60. As a commuting student, I travel into campus 2 days per week for lectures, which works out at over £11 per week and nearly £270 per academic year (on top of the £9,250 per year of tuition fees). If I were to travel into the building to access the library or extra-curricular activities on a day which I am not already in the building, the bill increases.

With a less than desirable public transport network in Shropshire, it is difficult to get to the campus without a car. As a Student Ambassador, I have had the job of trying to sell the university experience to potential students and the only time I have seen a level of disgruntlement is when talking about parking. If Shropshire Council would like to protect its investment in UCS, it is crucial for Shropshire Council to support its existing students to access the building and not turn away exited and potential students.

with an emphasis on “Students as Partners” and having a staff only car park with no charges, yet students must pay to park. I am asking the Chester Student Union to enter negotiations with University Centre Shrewsbury to reduce the parking charges for students.