Posted on 09/14/2009 2:07:25 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
Britain's first workplace parking levy, which will see companies charged for enabling their staff to commute by car, has been formally endorsed by Nottingham City Council.
The scheme is expected to set a precedent for other cities across the country, especially following the collapse of the Government's "pay as you drive" road pricing scheme and the attempt to introduce a congestion charge in Greater Manchester.
Although employers, offering 11 or more parking spaces, will be expected to pay the levy, which will start at £250 a year, they will be free to pass the cost onto their employees.
Milton Keynes, Exeter, Cambridge, Oxford have all expressed interest in the Nottingham project.
It has also been identified as a "congestion-busting" strategy by the Core Cites Group, which represents Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle and Sheffield.
The scheme has infuriated a number of employers, with some small companies considering pulling out of the city as a result of the scheme.
Nottingham has tried to soften the blow by announcing that while employers will have to obtain a licence for their parking provision from October 2011, no charges will be imposed until April 1 2012.
“A phased implementation would be beneficial for both the council and employers in Nottingham, making for a smoother introduction of the first such scheme in the UK and giving time for the economy to pick up," said Jane Urquhart, the councillor responsible for implementing the scheme.
"Employers will have an opportunity to become familiar with the licensing process in advance of having to pay a charge.”
The money will be used to pay for a number of public transport improvements, including a tram scheme.
“Some businesses would prefer all residents to pay for public transport improvements through increased council tax or road user charging. But as most
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Good grief. That’s all I’ve got at the moment.
Scheme is the correct choice of words in this article. Some politician is always scheming to get into the taxpayers pockets.
SZ
Next thing you know they’ll require government issued passes to go from one city to another, like in the Soviet Union! The brits are handing their freedom’s away, and it looks like they don’t even care.
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