A workplace parking levy is being considered in a range of UK cities such as Leicester and Leeds as a way to boost public finances. The scheme has already been introduced in Nottingham with employers charged up to £424 per parking space offered to their staff.
“They are going to become ghost centres. What sort of society are we going to be living in?”
Leicester City Council said they would model their parking charges on the Nottingham Scheme which has generated over £73million of revenue since 2012.
They confirmed the charging level will be set out at a consultation which is scheduled for the autumn of 2021.
Leicester City Council said the new charge would help tackle problems associated with traffic congestion in the city.
A spokesperson told Express.co.uk: A workplace parking levy would help us support future investment in sustainable transport which will be essential to the future growth and development of the city and play a key role in helping us achieve our ambitions to become a carbon neutral city by 2030.
“We are working closely with colleagues from the WPL team in Nottingham to carry out detailed research and feasibility studies and have committed to a citywide consultation on proposals to introduce a scheme in Leicester.
Nottingham City Council Portfolio Holder for Transport, Councllor Adele Williams told Express.co.uk: “This kind of doom-mongering about a Workplace Parking Levy sparking the collapse of city centres is utter nonsense.
“We heard this sort of thing before we implemented ours – and nine years later we still haven’t seen those predictions materialise.
“No businesses have left Nottingham due to the WPL and many have invested here in the knowledge they will have to pay it, if they have eleven or more parking spaces.
“Forward-thinking business increasingly will invest in cities which have excellent green public transport options like ours, funded in part through the £75m we have raised through the levy so far.
“Nottingham is working towards becoming the first carbon neutral city by 2028, helped by WPL-funded transport improvements, and it’s cities like ours that will be in the strongest position as the climate crisis worsens.”
Express.co.uk have contacted Leeds City Council for further comment.