Nottingham City Councils insistence on bringing in a Workplace Parking Levy shows no signs of abating. Even the recent decision by Manchester to not bring in a congestion charge after huge opposition has done nothing to dent their intentions.

On the councils website they’ve said..

Nottingham City Council believes it will not suffer a similar fate to Manchester as its proposals for a workplace parking levy (WPL) are fairer and cheaper than a congestion charge.

So, they think its better because it’s fairer and cheaper. Let’s just analyse this for a moment. A congestion charge would charge anyone driving into the city whereas a parking levy only hits those in large businesses. Shoppers, school runs, etc, are exempt, as are small businesses. So WPL is blatantly unfair.

What about the price? Well it sounds that if you have to use the WPL then it will be cheaper than a proposed congestion charged would be. However, as someone who doesn’t drive into Nottingham, and hence wouldn’t have to pay a congestion charge, but would have to pay for WPL then, no, it’s not cheaper.

With a congestion charge they will charge you for entering the city itself, whereas the WPL is for anyone parking within the city boundaries. You see, the car park on my companies site is within the city boundaries. However, at no other point do I enter the city – so I drive in on public roads outside the city, then enter a private business park, still outside the city, but then drive into a private car park which is. The WPL therefore charges us. However, unless they intend to put congestion charge cameras on private roads, I assume such a charge wouldn’t apply to me.

And that comes back to the fairness again.

Of course I can always show my disapproval during the local electio…. oh no. That’s right. I don’t live in the city so have no voting rights against them.

WPLs appear to be a Labour initiative, so I could show my annoyance at general and my local elections. Except my local MP, Liz Blackman, is against the WPL in Nottingham. And she’s Labour.