Taxpayers in Wolverhampton are subsidising council workers by more than £1million a year to park free in the city, it has emerged.

Wolverhampton City Council offers more than 980 staff a special pass giving them free spaces at car parks that the public has to pay to stay in.

A total of 348 passes are at the Civic Centre and St Peter’s car parks, which have a maximum cost of £10 a day. The remaining 634 passes are for staff parking on car parks costing a maximum of £4.50 a day.

If every space was filled, all day every day of the working week this would result in an overall loss of income or effective subsidy by the taxpayer of a maximum £1.45million. The figures have emerged as the council is looking to save £36 million in 2011/2012.

The council is also predicting it will need to make extra savings of £60 million.

Wolverhampton Business Group has called for the subsidy for council staff parking to be axed and for parking fees to be reduced to 50p an hour on city centre car parks and 20p for an hour on School Street and the markets for members of the public.

The Council’s Steve Woodward, said: “Passes are issued to those staff who most require their cars for their role with the city council.” He said there would be a review.