Teachers face charge for school parking

TEACHERS could be charged £1 a day to park at school, under plans being considered by a cash-strapped council.

The proposal has been slammed by teaching unions, who say it would make it even harder to recruit teachers.

Depute provost Colin Brown, a Forfar independent councillor, put forward the plan, and has also suggested charging staff at Angus Council.

He says the proposal could bring in £320,000 a year in his town alone.

But a spokesman for teaching union EIS Scotland said: ‘Teachers arrive at school early and often leave late, frequently have to carry heavy books for preparation and correction, plus public transport is often not a realistic option.

‘Teachers’ pay has been cut, in real terms, by more than 20 per cent over the past decade, so any area introducing a parking charge might find it more difficult to attract staff to its schools.’

Mr Brown claims that by expanding the system throughout Angus, the administration would more than meet its commitment of securing an income of £700,000 a year from parking.

Car parking charges are due to return to Angus as a whole later this year after a gap of more than two decades, and councillors are being asked to finalise details of how the system might work.

Thousands have put their name to an online petition calling for a period of free on-street parking amid fears the move will decimate town-centre trade.