Glasgow Times

£33 A MONTH... JUST TO PARK AT WORK

Shock over proposal to charge firms for private spaces in city centre - and staff could pay the price

- BY TONY DIVERS and HOLLY LENNON

WORKERS in Glasgow city centre face having to pay hundreds of pounds a year to take their cars to the office.

City chiefs are considerin­g proposals that could eventually lead to businesses being charged up to £400 a year for every employee who parks at work under a levy aimed at curbing pollution.

However, opponents warn many employers will pass the charge on to staff.

PROPOSALS which could result in workers paying hundreds of pounds a year to park at their own offices have been blasted by business leaders and branded a “tax on work”.

Businesses in Glasgow city centre could be made to pay as much as £400-per-year to the council for each parking space employees use – with fears employers will pass the cost onto staff costing workers more than £30-per-month.

Councillor­s argue the Workplace Parking Levy would make the city greener, but business chiefs say it would stop investment and harm the city economy.

If the proposals are voted through next week, the council would then have to decide, alongside other local authoritie­s, whether to ask the Scottish government for the power to introduce any levy to be included in the new Transport Bill.

Richard Muir, deputy chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, said: “We are unconvince­d a case has been made for another tax being raised on business as the evidence on congestion in Glasgow City Centre – as opposed to the wider city – is very thin.

“We are also unsure why a tax which would focus on one part of the city region geography would make sense. We do not wish to create disincenti­ves to business investment in the city region’s engine room.”

John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettlesto­n, said the charge might encourage more people to use public transport, but warned it “could push costs up, if businesses have to pay for parking on top of other costs”.

A spokesman for the AA motoring group said councils were “rubbing their hands together” at the thought of raising money from people travelling to work, and called the levy a “tax on work”.

He said: “What you’ve got here is a few thousand people contributi­ng millions of pounds for the benefit of tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands. That is grossly disproport­ionate.”

The AA pointed to a similar levy in Nottingham, where it said 40 per cent of businesses got around the charge by paying workers less.

If Glasgow introduced the same £400 charge, it would cost workers £33 per month to park at the office.

The proposed move has been welcomed by Environmen­tal Protection Scotland (EPS), provided the funds raised are put back into improving public transport and lead to better, safer city centre cycle routes to encourage commuters to leave their cars at home.

The Glasgow-based charity also called for careful considerat­ion and wider consultati­on by the community, including businesses, to ensure a levy doesn’t lead to more overcrowdi­ng on buses and trains and damages the city’s economy.

In an Evening Times poll of almost 1,000 people last night, 78 per cent said they did not support the proposal.

But despite opposition, councillor­s from the SNP and Labour both support the levy proposals.

Matt Kerr, the city council’s opposition spokesman on transport, said: “A workplace parking levy would be a very welcome addition to the powers of local government.

“It would help to generate much-needed resources to help invest in public transport, and to support the shift towards sustainabl­e public forms of transit.

“In the long run, creating a healthier, greener and cleaner city is a good policy for business and for citizens.”

Anna Richardson, an SNP councillor, said the levy would help to pay for sustainabl­e public transport in the future.

The proposals will be considered next Tuesday by the Glasgow City Council’s environmen­tal committee.

A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: “We are entering a period where national transport policy is aimed squarely at reducing emissions – including phasing out petrol and diesel engines and encouragin­g the use of electric vehicles, particular­ly in urban areas. Glasgow will create the country’s first Low Emission Zone at the turn of the year.

“However, employers providing workplace parking could be considered a powerful incentive for the use of private cars to drive before other forms of travel.

“Members will get an update on the current debate and an opportunit­y to consider whether councils should seek powers to impose a levy in the future.”

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