Oxford traders unhappy with new car parking tax plans

Oxfordshire County Council allocated funding earlier this year towards development of a workplace parking levy (WPL) which will charge medium to large businesses for staff parking places at their premises.

This was agreed during a budget meeting at County Hall in February as teachers spoke out criticising the workplace charge. 

There is still uncertainty over who is to be affected by the charge but concerns are already being raised that organisations such as schools and hospitals may end up passing the cost on to employees.

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A final rubber stamp of approval and public consultation on the workplace parking levy is yet to be given.

Cabinet member for climate change and green county councillor, Dr Pete Sudbury, said: “Nothing has been decided.

Pete Sudbury. (Image: Photo: Oxfordshire County Council)

“We haven’t even started working on it.

“If it’s a rubbish idea we’ll drop it.”

A total of £2.5million was allocated in the budget towards development of the workplace parking levy which is likely to affect businesses with over 12 parking spaces.

Dr Sudbury said no clear timeline had been established for the project but it was expected to come into place in the next two or three years.

Matthew Alden, an Oxford-based butcher, who runs his family business in Osney Mead, said: “It is not exactly the best news. It’s just another tax.

“Like all these things it’s going to happen – you can shout as much as you like.

Matthew Alden, right.

“There’s no way we’re going to ask our staff to pay.

“It’s a considerable cost and sometimes staff can’t drive to work.

“Cars are needed in certain workplaces.”

The Aldens business is in the Osney Mead industrial estate in Oxford and has 30 car parking spaces in total.

The butcher’s assertion “it’s going to happen” comes after Liberal Democrat county council leader Liz Leffman was criticised for saying in a budget meeting that “the one thing we will not compromise on, I can tell you right now, is that we are going to introduce the workplace parking levy”.

Liz Leffman. (Image: Oxfordshire County Council.)

Objectors said this comment made the promised public consultation redundant.

Another trader in the Osney Mead industrial estate, Nathan Stone, who is front of house coordinator for the Booker Cash and Carry store, said: “It’s a lot harder for people to get to us.

“I live 18 miles away.

“I think it’s silly because not everyone can walk into work.”

Talks over when and how the council plans to implement the measures comes amid the decision to increase on-street parking costs in the city from £13.20 to £15.20 for two hours.

Conservative county councillor Liam Walker has been vocal in his opposition to the proposals.

He said of the WPL: “This is just another anti-motorist Lib Dem and Green coalition tax on drivers and will impact Oxford businesses hard as they will be forced to potentially pay a lot of money for their staff to get into Oxford.

Liam Walker. (Image: West Oxfordshire District Council.)

“This scheme on top of the expansion of the zero emissions zone and implementation of the bus gates in November this year is really making Oxford a no-go area for both businesses and visitors.”

Richard Parnham, of the Reconnecting Oxford group, added: “The WPL almost certainly won’t reduce city centre traffic because most of the organisations likely to be affected by it are based nowhere near the city centre in the first place.

“Despite this enormous development cost, it appears that Oxfordshire County Council still doesn’t have clear idea about which employers will be hit hardest by the levy, and whether it would be fair for those employers to saddled with it.”

Traffic in Oxford. (Image: Oxford Mail)

Not everyone is against the idea of a workplace parking levy, with Green councillor Lois Muddiman, of the Osney and St Thomas ward, saying she supports the idea.

Lois Muddiman. (Image: Oxford City Council.)

She added: “The money raised would go towards improving walking and cycling infrastructure and bus services.

“The levy would help to reduce congestion and pollution in the city, which we badly need.

“There would definitely have to be some exemptions such as for blue badge holders.”

An Oxfordshire County Council spokesman has once again confirmed proposals for a workplace parking levy in Oxford are at an early stage and no decision has been taken on which employers would be included.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “In situations where a workplace parking levy is introduced without an exemption for schools and colleges, we would ask employers to do all they can to absorb the cost without burdening individual employees.”

We have approached the county council for an update on the complaint made to the monitoring officer about council leader Liz Leffman in relation to her comment during the budget meeting.