Workplace car parking charges rules out
Monday 23rd August 2010, 11:30AM BST.
Charges for parking at workplaces were today being by ruled out by Midland councils, although other local authorities are pushing ahead with plans.
They could see charges of up to £250 a year levied to park at work.
Authorities including Bristol, York, Hampshire, Leeds, Bournemouth and Wiltshire are considering introducing charges to raise funds and cut congestion.
The levy would apply to private companies that offer staff a place to park at work.
Councils face losing millions when the government reviews spending in October, and will have to look for new ways of raising money.
But Midland councils were today ruling out the idea.
Tory councillor Wendy Thompson, finance boss at Wolverhampton City Council, said: “We can never say never, but so far we have no plans. We won’t know the results of the government’s comprehensive spending review until October and it will be December before we have proposals in place to deal with it.”
Dudley Council, which is facing £70m of cuts, said it had no plans for the levy.
Staffordshire County Council bosses said they also had no plans for it, and Stafford and South Staffordshire Councils have confirmed they have no plans for workplace parking levies.
Some 10 million people drive to work every day.
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Err which authorities? The article does not say?
Another tax on the driver. I am glad Midland councils are not doing it but when one does lets see how many follow.
How will this cut congestion? If I was to get to work using public transport it would take me two hours more on 4 buses (there and back) instead of a 10-15min drive. And it would cost more!
We pay our road tax – improvements on the roads will cut congestion not smelly buses.
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Dude, the article names the authorities as, Bristol, York, Hampshire, Leeds, Bournemouth and Wiltshire, it’s near the top of the piece.
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Err… Dude
If you read the article properly the headline reads:
“Charges for parking at workplaces were today being by ruled out by Midland councils, although other local authorities are pushing ahead with plans.”
I highlight ‘other local authorities are pushing ahead’
It then reads on: “Authorities including Bristol, York, Hampshire, Leeds, Bournemouth and Wiltshire are considering introducing charges to raise funds and cut congestion”
I highlight ‘considering’
It does not state which councils are ‘pushing ahead’ Dude
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Note that the levy would only apply to staff of private companies. Not council employees. Make them catch the bus and the roads would be empty!
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And what the hell is road tax for. This country is a joke.
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Dave
What “road tax” are you talking about?
There is no road tax.
There is vehicle duty, there’s duty on petrol.
Neither of them are ring fenced for roads.
It would be a farce if only those who paid vehicle or petrol duty contributed to the maintenance of roads as everyone benefits from them to deliver goods and services.
Dave, I think the joke is on you!
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In addition, if you then thought of taking the hint and riding a bike to work… HMRC has just issued guidance on hiking up the costs for cycle ownership under the cycle to work scheme…!
Hoorah… the Tories are back… urgh!
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I work for a local authority in the midlands. Many employees here have parking passes which are funded by the council. The general rule is if you are required to use your vehicle for work purposes you apply. Many employees with these passes don’t ‘require’ one. It is given as a ‘perk’ of the job. These employees are all high paid managers or equivalent.
The rest of us all pay or find other methods into the city. They keep promising to review the ‘situation’ as they call it but are too afraid of rocking the boat so to speak.
If the general public only knew the money wasted on parking in local authorities I’m sure they would also question the need to give out passes to these employees.
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Excellent point Jane. There’s no incentive not to drive to work if you work in a local authority, as this means effectively losing out on a subsidy for the maintenance of the car park.
If local authority staff didn’t drive to work (and they all could do that if you think that local authority offices are usually in town centres), then Councils could sell the land they own for staff car parks and keep the profits to invest and pay a nice annual interest payment to offset Council tax rises.
But do they do that? No – they keep the land to offer subsidised parking for their staff, and then they tell developers that they need to cut down on parking on their developments!
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A no point have any of the councils even said they will or will not do it. They said they have no plans at the moment, and lets be honest, if they were looking at it they are hardly likely to publicise before they have a consultation and publicity strategy ready.
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Good news this has been cancelled.
I for one would dread having to get the bus with the great black country unwashed.
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oh look at trevor, he’s got a car & doesn’t have to travel with the peasants…
tell you what trev, seeing as you have such a high opinion of black country residents – how about you take that car of yours & head for the first exit out of here.
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The easiest way to do it would be for everybody to be charged for parking their vehicle at home. Councils could then reimburse all their employees to satisfy Jane’s requirements, and the rest of the money could be used to find more ways to raise money from drivers. So everybody contributed we could tax those without a vehicle for inefficient use of parking space at home. And if you don’t have a home, a vehicle or a parking space you should be charged a Non-Participation tax. This is fun! I think I should be in government.
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I hope blue badge holders will be exempt this tax as we all need a car to get to work. I suppose executive council members will either be exempt or will claim it back on expenses which we pay for in our council tax
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Wonder if the councillors will give up their free parking or limos and start taking the bus? No, thought not.
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Genuine question here!
Would you consider this tax if all the money raised went strainght into improving public transport (e.g. cycle hire, extended tram system, improved bus network etc)?
This is what they have done for the Nottingham Tram extension, and the public there are not too upset because the money is going straight back to the community.
Just wondered how us Midlanders would feel?
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NO. Bus companies will then charge us to use the buses that WE have paid for to improve in the first place.
I would rather sell the house, quit my job and become a burden on the dole..
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I walk to work and expecting to hear about a “Failure to contribute to road tax, fuel tax, VAT on tires and parking levy , nuisance tax” . Then there will be the “Wearing out the pavement tax”, “standing on the cracks in the pavement tax” and “littering” come autumn when a leaf stuck to my shoe comes loose again and falls somewhere else”.
I can see the mastermind show. “OK Mr Politician , general knowledge round starts now, who was Henry the Eighths fourth wife?” “Raise taxes.” ” From which British port did the Titanic make it’s maiden voyage?” “raise taxes”……..
And none of those taxes will go towards providing adequate public transport to encourage people not to drive to work.
It is not practical for everyone to move house everytime they move job, I am fortunate in that I have been able to do so.
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