Constituency MSP, Jackie Baillie, has called on West Dunbartonshire and Argyll and Bute Council’s to rule out introducing a workplace car parking levy following the SNP Government’s budget announcement.

The budget deal agreed between the SNP Government and the Green Party will allow councils to introduce a workplace parking levy (WPL). This would see employers pay an annual tax to the council for every parking space they provide for employees. Employers could then choose whether to pass on the cost to their staff.

A similar scheme was introduced in Nottingham in 2012 and sees employers who provide more than 10 parking spaces for their staff pay about £400 every year to the city council for each space, with the charge increasing each year.

The MSP says that the levy will hit hard pressed working people whose pay has not kept up with inflation.

Jackie said:

“The introduction of a workplace parking levy has the potential to adversely impact on hard pressed working people who are already struggling to meet the cost of everyday living as their pay has not kept up with inflation.

“Workers at companies such as Chivas, Aggreko, HMNB Clyde at Faslane and the Councils themselves could all be impacted by the introduction of the levy.

“Introducing a car parking levy when public transport, especially the train service, is so poor is simply wrong headed.

“Working people are being penalised, again, by the Scottish Government budget deal with the Greens. The Scottish Government should have used their budget to properly fund local authorities instead of squirreling away money in government reserves. This is nothing more than a stealth tax on working people and I hope both Councils rule out its’ use locally.”