‘Climate change will just keep getting worse - we have to do something now’
YOUNGER GENERATION BACKING WORK PARKING LEVY
YOUNG people and climate activists are backing plans for workplace parking charges in Leicester.
A plan to introduce the annual fee for most city employers with 10 or more parking places for staff has been met with a backlash in recent weeks, as a consultation on the plan continues.
The charge proposed by Leicester City Council would cost £550 per space per year for businesses with more than 10 parking spaces.
Businesses could choose whether to pass the fees on to staff, or pay the charges themselves.
Those opposing the charge include some head teachers who claim the education sector is being unfairly included in the plans, and one opposition councillor described the levy as a “shameless attack on workers”.
But others, including some teachers and students, said the charge, officially called a Workplace Parking Levy (WPL), is a crucial step in the right direction to tackling climate change.
The city council has said the charge would raise money to improve public transport and would help cut pollution.
College student and climate strike activist Juniper Andean, 16, is among those supporting the introduction of the charge.
Juniper said that while there was still a lot more to be done to address the climate crisis, the city WPL “would be a great addition”.
“Climate change will just keep getting worse and it’s getting worse faster. We are getting closer to the point of no return and we need to do something now,” she said.
Schoolboy Jibreel Keegan said: “I would love it if the roads were safer and clearer. I would like to ride my bike to school every day but my parents are worried because of so many cars”
Jibreel, 11, pictured, and his sister Aaliya, nine, who live and go to school in the city, learned to ride their bikes during the lockdown when the roads were much quieter.
They both said they wanted a future with cleaner air and fewer cars.
“We need to escalate our efforts to slow down climate change,” said Jibreel.
“We all live on this Earth and nobody would purposefully burn down the place they live, but that is what is happening.
The siblings’ mum, Aasiya Bora, a teacher at an inner-city school, said staff and pupils alike use public transport most days.
“That would be improved with the parking levy,” said the 51-yearold.
Aasiya said she felt many people were not aware how many families lived in the city centre who would benefit from cleaner air and improved transport links.
“We want to propel our children into a better future and this is something we can do here in Leicester, now,” she said.
Although Aasiya said she understood “some teachers struggle” and could see the point of view of those who opposed the charge, she said she would personally be happy to pay the cost. She added that she felt the fee should be “in line with earnings”.
Zina Zelter, a member of Climate Action Leicester and Leicestershire, described the levy as a “positive social justice policy”.
While a number of heads and teachers have previously told the Mercury they would not back the move, saying they believed it would be detrimental to many members of the teaching staff, Zina said the people who would feel the impact of climate change most were the children who attended the schools. She said: “I think it’s very flexible employers can choose to pass on the cost or absorb some and there are ways they can support employees.”
Deputy city mayor Adam Clarke said: “There’s no doubt that a WPL would play a major role in helping to finance improvements to meet both the transport needs of a growing city and our environmental obligations as we face a climate emergency and challenging air quality targets.
“Several other councils are developing similar proposals. It is a proposal that won’t be universally popular, but the potential benefits to the whole city are difficult for us to ignore.”
People are urged to take part in the public consultation, which runs until March 13. Find it at by searching “WPL” at:
It won’t be universally popular, but the potential benefits to the city are difficult for us to ignore Adam Clarke