Workplace car park tax gets go-ahead

Are you happy to pay for your car parking space at work?

That's the question Nottingham residents will have to answer, because Britain's first Workplace Parking Levy (WPL) is due to start in the city in 2012.

The scheme has been given the go-ahead by the Department for Transport (DfT), although the start date has been delayed for two years due to the economic downturn.

Drivers will pay around 185 per year, per parking space, rising to 350 within two years.

The charge will be payable by workers at companies with 11 or more staff parking spaces.

Proceeds pay towards public transport
Cash from the scheme will help subsidise a new tram system for Nottingham. It's also hoped that the WPL will encourage workers to seek alternative means of travel, helping to cut congestion and reduce emissions.

Milton Keynes, Exeter, Cambridge and Oxford are considering the initiative, which has been described as 'congestion-busting' by the Core Cities Group, which covers Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle and Sheffield.

Reaction to the scheme
Not all reaction to the scheme has been positive, though. The British Chambers of Commerce says that the plans could cost businesses 3.4 billion per year if they were adopted nationwide.