The country’s first “workplace parking levy” will come into force in Nottingham in 2012 and is likely to be adopted by other councils. Under the scheme, any firm with 11 or more staff parking spaces will be charged £250 a year for each. That cost could rise to £350 within two years. Employers would be free to pass the cost on to their staff. An estimated 40,000 commuters in Nottingham drive to work and some businesses have threatened to leave the area if the scheme is introduced. Business associations oppose the extra cost, which has been put at more than £3 billion if it were rolled out nationwide. About 10 million people in Britain drive to work every day. Councils in Milton Keynes, Exeter, Cambridge and Oxford have expressed interest in the scheme. The Core Cities Group, which represents Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle and Sheffield, has also expressed interest, identifying the levy's “congestion-busting” potential. The scheme will be endorsed by Sadiq Khan, the transport minister, during a visit to Nottingham on Friday. The Government has explored a number of initiatives to cut urban traffic, pollution and carbon emissions. It was forced to back away from a national pay-as-you-drive road pricing scheme because of public opposition but hoped to persuade cities to adopt local schemes such as congestion charging. The AA described the latest scheme as a “tax on jobs”. “It is very unfair — discriminating against those employers who have parking spaces, which gets vehicles off the street,” said a spokesman. “These tariffs apply around the clock, which is especially unfair on shift workers who rely on their cars because public transport is not available. “This is more about generating a revenue stream than reducing congestion and will require snooping to enforce it properly.” Nottingham believed that the levy would raise £100 million over the next decade, just under one fifth of the cost of a new urban tram scheme. The British Chambers of Commerce gave warning that it could cost companies £3.4 billion a year if every English council followed Nottingham’s example. Theresa Villiers, the Tory transport spokesman, accused the Government of hitting businesses with new taxes. “At a time when jobs are under threat and businesses are under huge pressure, it is wrong to hit enterprise in Nottingham with a workplace parking levy,” she said. “These new charges will be a real blow to the city and we oppose them.” However, the move was welcomed by environmental groups. Richard Hebditch, of the Campaign for Better Transport, said the levy would raise money to invest in transport improvements. “It has the added benefit of tackling unnecessary commuter journeys, one of the main causes of congestion,” he said. “Failing to deal with the causes of congestion is simply not an option. “We put forward the idea of workplace parking levies as a fairer way to raise money to invest in the future of local transport services. We are pleased that the people of Nottingham will be the first to benefit.” A Department for Transport spokesman said it was “entirely for local authorities to decide what measures are appropriate” for improving transport and tackling congestion in their area. “Workplace parking levy schemes may be introduced only if they will contribute to the achievement of local transport policies, and all revenues must be reinvested in local transport,” he said. Although the Department for Transport backed the application, it has imposed a two-year delay. It is understood that ministers felt that it would be wrong, in the current economic climate, to start the project next year as had been originally planned.Motorists to pay £250 tax for parking at work
Motorists who drive to work face having to pay a £250 “parking tax” under a scheme to be announced by ministers on Friday.
Friday, 31 July 2009
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