Are workplace parking levies the future?
A number of UK cities and towns are considering introducing workplace parking levies (WPL) as a way of tackling air quality and emissions targets and raising money to invest in sustainable transport projects.
A WPL is a charge on employers that provide workplace parking, a type of congestion charging scheme. The first to announce such a scheme, Nottingham City Council has introduced a WPL to tackle problems associated with traffic congestion, by both providing funding for major transport infrastructure initiatives and by acting as an incentive for employers to manage their workplace parking provision.
Leicester, Reading, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cambridge, Bristol and Hounslow and Camden in London have also all confirmed that a WPL is under consideration.
The scheme will put further focus on fleets to consider alternative mobility options for employees in city centre office locations, alongside their future planning on how to mitigate the impact of other measures such as clean air zones (CAZs) and congestion charges.
To date, Nottingham is the only UK city to have introduced a workplace parking levy. This has been in operation since 2012 and has brought in over £60m, which the council has invested in public transport, including tram, bus and railway station improvements.
Employers, rather than employees, are responsible for paying any WPL charge, although employers can choose to reclaim part or all of the cost of the WPL from their employees.
Nottingham City Council has reported that the charge for the next WPL licensing period is £415.
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