SNP and Greens halt bid to stop workplace parking levy proposal
The controversial workplace parking levy is set to become law after a last minute bid to have it removed from legislation was blocked in Holyrood.
SNP and Scottish Green MSPS last night voted against a Labour amendment to the Transport Bill which would have seen the levy scrapped.
Scottish Labour’s Neil Bibby, who attempted to amend the Bill, said that the levy was “regressive”, would hit the lowest paid hardest, and accused the Scottish Government of failing to listen to businesses, trade unions and “the people of Scotland”.
“It is not consequence free or fundamentally a solution to climate change, and it penalises those for whom modal shift is not an option, because for many working people public transport in Scotland is simply not good enough,” he said.
He was backed by Scottish Liberal Democrat, Mike Rumbles, who said the levy was being introduced “contrary to evidence” from Nottingham, which is the only UK city with such a levy.
He said: “This is not about behavioural change. Nottingham hasn’t reduced congestion and the clear advice to us on environmental reasons was not to impose low emission zones and the workplace parking levy at the same time. I’m surprised we’re going with both of these against that advice.”
Scottish Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser, also backed the scrapping of the levy, and said the tax had emerged from the budget deal between the SNP and Greens. He said: “It is simply a “bad idea which will hit lowest paid workers the hardest.”
His colleagues attempted to pass exemptions for shift workers, teachers, emergency services staff, prison workers, residential adult care staff and those who did not have a bus or rail stop within half a mile of their home, and raised concerns about lone female workers being placed at risk. Labour’s Colin Smyth also asked for low earners to be exempted, and for an earnings threshold to be set.
However, Scottish Green and SNP MSPS backed the levy which will give councils the power to introduce the levy, and voted against exemptions.
Transport minister Michael Matheson said he was “disappointed” in Labour attempts to scrap the levy and pointed to Labour-controlled Nottingham council, to Edinburgh Labour’s council manifesto commitment to introduce the same levy, and to the party’s environmental spokesperson Claudia Beamish MSP, who has said she is “uncomfortable” with her party’s position.
He said: “This is for local authorities to introduce such a scheme, it’s a power not a duty. Local authorities would have the power to shape it to meet local needs including exemptions. It’s a discretionary power.”