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CLIVE IS PARKING MAD Dear Doc, Is your mailbag overflowing with letters about workplace parking levies? As if it wasn’t hard enough to run a car already, I’ve read that councils could charge businesses up to £1,000 a year for every parking space they have. This strikes me as yet another ‘tax’ on hardworking people and comes at a time when fuel prices are going through the roof. I’m glad I’m no longer working for a living, but I feel sorry for those who do. Sorry to rant, but I knew you’d understand. Yours truly, Clive Endacott
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Hello Clive, As it happens, you’re the first person to get in touch about this, which suggests that my readers are mellowing in their old age. These workplace parking levies are nothing new – there’s been one in Nottingham since 2012. The price has just increased, so employers who provide 11 or more parking spaces will pay £458 a year, up from £415. The council claims it has generated around £64 million since 2012, and it’s interesting to note that Nottingham is the only city in England to see a reduction in journey times before the pandemic. A similar scheme has just been introduced in Scotland, but local councils are free to decide whether or not to introduce it.
Glasgow estimates that it could raise up to £30 million a year if it covers the entire city, or £6 million if it’s limited to the city centre. South of the border, I understand parking levies are under discussion to be introduced in Bath, Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Colchester, Leicester, Luton, Norwich, Oxford, Reading, and Warrington. It might surprise you to discover that I don’t have a problem with the idea, but it’s not as clear cut as it first seems. For example, an employer is free to pass on the levy to the employee, which means it’s likely to affect the lowestpaid workers. I also note that there’s no mention of electric cars in these schemes, so on the one hand we’re
