Tories make last-ditch bid to scrap ‘punishing’ workplace parking levy

Scottish Conservatives will make a last-ditch attempt to scrap controversial proposals to give powers to councils to introduce charges for workplace parking.

Holyrood is to debate the scheme on Wednesday, but ahead of that the Tories will force a vote on the issue at the Scottish Parliament’s Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee on Tuesday.

Conservative transport spokesman Graham Simpson will call for the regulations for the workplace parking levy to be annulled.

He added: “Scottish businesses and their hard-working staff are dreading the introduction of this unfair scheme – and many are wondering how they are going to cope with the potentially exorbitant charges.

“As long as the SNP continue to fail to provide Scotland with a public transport system that is affordable and fit-for-purpose, punitive measures like this will have no environmental benefit.

“Instead, this senseless tax will hit businesses and workers hard, slap bang in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis and our recovery from the pandemic.

“Scots can see right through the SNP’s bluster – this is nothing more than a money-making scheme to help shore up holes in the SNP Government’s inadequate local council funding.

“But it’s not too late to reverse these plans. I urge the SNP to listen to the outcry on all sides and scrap this irresponsible tax before businesses and working Scots bear the brunt.”

The Scottish Government agreed to handing councils the powers to introduce a charge for workplace parking back in 2019, as part of budget deal with the Scottish Greens.

But the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, Scottish Retail Consortium and the Food and Drink Federation Scotland have all raised concerns about the proposed new levy.

In a letter to the committee, the Scottish Chambers of Commerce called for it to be “scrapped or, at a minimum, further deferred”.

However, transport minister Jenny Gilruth has stressed the regulations would “provide local authorities with the tools on workplace parking licensing, already held by councils in England and Wales and welcomed in Scotland by our local authority partners in Cosla”.

She added: “Councils in England and Wales have had these powers for over a decade since the Workplace Parking Levy (England) Regulations 2009 were made under the Transport Act 2000.”

A Transport Scotland spokeswoman said: “Workplace parking licensing schemes have the potential to encourage the use of more sustainable travel, while raising revenue that will be used to improve public and sustainable transport. It supports our commitment to reduce car kilometres travelled by 20% by 2030 as part of our climate change goals.

“These new discretionary local powers, which are already held by councils in England and Wales, were welcomed by our local authority partners in Cosla and by local leaders of all parties, as well as Transform Scotland, Friends of the Earth and other transport partners.”