Places features

Nottingham City Council are looking into implementing a Workplace Parking Levy. The Levy is a fee that would need to be paid by all City of Nottingham employers, who keep parking spaces for their staff.

The Levy

The Workplace Parking Levy was the topic discussed on the BBC Radio Nottingham Morning Show with Philip Chapman on Friday 5 October 2007. Questions debated included: 'Is the levy the only option or could congestion charging be considered?', 'Who would pay the fee?' and 'How would public transport be improved as a result of the charge?'.

Barry Horne, Corporate Director from Nottingham City Council was answering listeners questions on the Levy. He is in favour of the charge. Congestion currently costs the city £160 million a year, according to research by the East Midlands Development Agency (EMDA). Barry said: "What we're clear about is the biggest single remaining group of people who contribute towards congestion are those that travel in to a free work space at their place of work."

Pay to park

The programme also heard from John Dowson, from the Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce. He is against the charge. He said: "Our latest survey showed that 96% still opposed the Workplace Parking Levy and even those that tell us that they don't want us to lobby against it, still don't think it's fair."

The topic has been discussed all this week as part of a week long public examination, which ends on Friday 5 October 2007. But the discussion doesn't end there. The independent Chairman Brian Dodd will go away and write his report. Nottingham City Council will then consider it, but the final decision will be made by the Secretary of State.