Nottingham City Council Workplace Parking Levy

**Plan C** · April 16, 2012, 01:47 PM

Waited this long because I was convinced it was an April Fool's joke, turns out the joke is on business owners in NCC administrative boundaries:

http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/ind...articleid=2581

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...shire-17573366

Many other councils are waiting with baited breath to see how this works out before wider rollout.

Basically, businesses which provide >11 parking bays for their employees are now charged £288 p/a per space. To rise to £380 p/a per space by 2015. Tidy.

The reason supplied by the council is that they seek to inject funds into development of city's tram network. I have 2 questions:

1. What planet do Nottingham's councillors come from? (considering government's full support for Mary Portas' revival plan for British high street which involves wide cuts to parking charges)
2. Will the levy be scrapped once the tram network is up and running? Or (more likely) does this end up a permanent, additional, tax for businesses stupid enough to provide employment within catchment area?

**Phier** · April 16, 2012, 01:49 PM

While I'm sure there are a few rare examples out there...

There is no such thing as a temporary tax.

**Shneckie** · April 16, 2012, 02:00 PM

Surely the city councillors are completely out of line and need a good whipping back into place?

**Thorn777** · April 16, 2012, 02:14 PM

Cant tax free lunch. Have to tax those squeezable somehow. Tree-tax is up next. Wait and see...

**mongrel** · April 16, 2012, 03:46 PM

Where is he when you want him?

**Father Jack** · April 16, 2012, 04:59 PM

Oh god it is so 70s!

**Plan C** · April 16, 2012, 05:49 PM

It's the rationale behind this decision that worries me - the council decides it needs more money and it simply finds a way to claim it. No consultation (at least that's the way it's presented), no messing, just like that you simply owe them more. And more still, come 2015.

**Jedi1** · April 17, 2012, 03:09 AM

Originally Posted by Brick Top

It's the rationale behind this decision that worries me - the council decides it needs more money and it simply finds a way to claim it. No consultation (at least that's the way it's presented), no messing, just like that you simply owe them more. And more still, come 2015.

An excellent point, plus rep. Especially if the OP's claim to other councils eagerly hoping for successful implementation to initiate widespread implementation is true.

**Rolling Thunder** · April 16, 2012, 05:57 PM

The venality of our political system manages to find yet more means to surprise me, if briefly.

**MathiasOfAthens** · April 17, 2012, 03:48 AM

The parking fees are meant to deter people from driving into the city. Create walkable areas and add to the mass transit system. Its better in the long term.

**Plan C** · April 17, 2012, 04:16 AM

Originally Posted by MathiasOfAthens

The parking fees are meant to deter people from driving into the city. Create walkable areas and add to the mass transit system. Its better in the long term.

In the long term we are near-as-dammit guaranteed to be saddled with another tax which has long outlived its purpose.

**Nietzsche** · April 17, 2012, 04:39 AM

Originally Posted by Brick Top

In the long term we are near-as-dammit guaranteed to be saddled with another tax which has long outlived its purpose.

Matthias argues like a publicly elected social engineer. He'll decide what is better for you as you obviously don't know it well enough yourself.

With governments everywhere broke, taxes will suck whatever life they can from those able to pay creating a larger pool of leeches to devour whatever is left. In this instance, the council has decided that businesses likely won't fight and simply pass the burden onto consumers of their products or as adjustments to their employees salary. Similar things happen in 'Merikuh we've just gotten so used to it, that our hand robotically reaches for our wallets upon sighting a bureaucrat.

**General Brittanicus** · April 17, 2012, 04:34 AM

Originally Posted by MathiasOfAthens

The parking fees are meant to deter people from driving into the city. Create walkable areas and add to the mass transit system. Its better in the long term.

Nottingham is already the least car reliant city in the country and they have a bazillion buses already. They are planning on building a tram line right next to my uni and it seems like a big waste of time and money to me since there are at least 5 different buses which regularly cover almost exactly the same route. Although i guess it will mean less people travelling into the city, because i expect any businesses who have more than 11 parking spaces are going to be re-locating elsewhere.

**Rolling Thunder** · April 17, 2012, 05:13 AM

Originally Posted by MathiasOfAthens

The parking fees are meant to deter people from driving into the city. Create walkable areas and add to the mass transit system. Its better in the long term.

This is Britain, Mathias. You can walk around every city centre in the country and we already have a hideously-subsidised mass transit system that brings in swarms of pensioners, kids and other economically inactive undesirables into city centres to do their shopping. This is just another marginal effect destroying employment opportunities in city centres.

**Denny Crane!** · April 17, 2012, 08:25 AM

Originally Posted by Rolling Thunder

This is Britain, Mathias. You can walk around every city centre in the country and we already have a hideously-subsidised mass transit system that brings in swarms of pensioners, kids and other economically inactive undesirables into city centres to do their shopping. This is just another marginal effect destroying employment opportunities in city centres.

It is hilarious to have an American comment on British urban social issues.

Take Newcastle, we have a multitude of bus lanes for subsidised buses to travel down and bus only areas throughtout the city center. We have a metro system that spans out into just about every conceivable suburb and even links us to the other major city in the region with train links to boot to other major areas (and an airport) yet the councils around here still impose mass parking levies all over the region.

**magpie** · April 17, 2012, 12:31 PM

It would seem Denny that a person would have little use for a car In Newcastle with that abundance of semi-public transport?

**Denny Crane!** · April 17, 2012, 02:05 PM

Originally Posted by magpie

It would seem Denny that a person would have little use for a car In Newcastle with that abundance of semi-public transport?

I really cant think of a single person Ive ever met who works in Newcastle and takes their car, peak time traffic and the ease of the metro system mean it isnt worth it. However no public transport system is so comprehensive as to cover all commute points including country areas so while public infrastructure is good it shouldnt eliminate choice and bleed people dry who need to use a car (can we call this a disability tax?)

**Plan C** · April 17, 2012, 02:20 PM

Originally Posted by Denny Crane!

I really cant think of a single person Ive ever met who works in Newcastle and takes their car, peak time traffic and the ease of the metro system mean it isnt worth it. However no public transport system is so comprehensive as to cover all commute points including country areas so while public infrastructure is good it shouldnt eliminate choice and bleed people dry who need to use a car (can we call this a disability tax?)

Loosely related

**Denny Crane!** · April 18, 2012, 12:07 AM

Legendary Chris Morris at his best, that made me chuckle and now I must must watch Big Train again. Maybe JAM if I can gain adequate psychological fortitude for it, since you know, its freaking wrong!