Please support our campaign to remove the extended footpaths on High Street North Manor Park and return them back to parking spaces for customers. 

I'm a proud business owner on the High Street and have provide a service to the trade and community for 40 years. The council have decided to set up barriers along High Street North to prevent parking so they can extend the footpaths to help social distancing. 

I find this action extremely ignorant and illogical of the council in these challenging times and it will achieve nothing in the larger scale of this outbreak. It feels like a slap in the face to us business owners who are doing our best to kickstart the economy. No business along the High Street was consulted before this was enforced. It feels like an ambush on our livelihood and a stunt to specifically kill off High Street North.  These barriers have not been put up on Romford Road where the pavement narrows in many places where there are parking bays. Mainly because Tesco are there.   

How are we expected to trade day to day? Accepting deliveries from suppliers and loading our own carriers up has become extremely difficult. Customers are being put off from visiting us as parking tickets are issued so swiftly. The traffic wardens behaviour and manners to my customers is appalling. I’ve filmed one warden using homophobic language and intimidation on a young man. It does not help and makes unnecessary tension. The council are forcing customers to break the law and park illegally because they have no other options when they wish to shop on the High Street.

Accepting deliveries has become so difficult as wardens will not allow carriers to park, which means we cannot accept our stock orders.

This is having a direct impact on our livelihoods. As a community we cannot simply sit and watch what our families have built be destroyed like this.     

Please advise if there was any consultation with local businesses before this was enforced? As a business rate payer I was not consulted on this matter, which will have a serious impact on my business, a loss in revenue and reduction in staff. 

The actions the council has taken will have zero effect in the controlling of Covid-19. Newham is already the highest furloughed borough, why are you now pushing small businesses into further decline? It makes no sense. The footpath does not have the traffic of oxford circus. Educate the people rather than punish those that are breaking their back to make a living. 

My business is part of the essential trades. Tradesman drive vans, they cannot cycle or walk to work. They shift heavy goods from A to B. Having no where to park will push these trades away from my business to the ever growing DIY Chains.      

I really need answers as soon as possible to this matter. It is a serious topic for the high street. I’m prepared to push this matter through social media, papers, MPs, etc. I need your support and understanding. This suspension and footpath development must not proceed any further and needs to be removed.

I look forward to your swift response on this matter.