City Council backs down over unpopular car parking scheme

Oct 8 2009 By Mike Larkin

GLASGOW City Council has shelved plans to introduce new charges for all off-road parking.

It was dropped after consultation on the authority's Air Quality Action Plan showed the public was "strongly resistant" to the idea.

Less than half of the 350 people consulted thought it should be introduced, while another 41 per cent were against the idea and a further 10 per cent were undecided.

If it had been approved, the council would have lobbied the Scottish Government for permission to introduce additional levies for all non-residential off-road parking, including private car parks.

The move would have seen the thousands who park their cars during working hours within Glasgow hit with an additional charge.

However the council said it may still implement the plan through another route.

Executive member for land and environment James McNally said: "This action was the least supported of all the actions in the draft Action Plan.

"The action was likely to receive strong resistance from both public and businesses sectors.

"Consultation responses also indicated that this action was unlikely to improve local air quality and would fit better within the Local Transport Strategy."

The council is now considering implementing the move through the Local Transport Strategy. Glasgow MSP Bill Aitken, who had previously served on the council for 23 years, said: "I think that the public irritation was justified.

"People pay their road tax and their council tax, and do not think there should be another surcharge simply for parking their cars.

"But I rather fear we have not heard the last of this.

"But the council must recognise that the public view is quite clear and they can't proceed against such a body of opinion from Glasgow's constitiuents."

However one councillor who is backing the idea is the Green Party's Bailie Dr Nina Baker.

She said: "Anything that encourages people to use more public transport is a good idea.

"I think it is definitely worth investigating further .

"It doesn't make it wrong because peopleobject to it. Even if it went against public opinion it is the rightthing to do. But I do think it means there will have to be better public transport to encourage people to give up their cars."

If the move had went ahead it would have paved the way for Glasgow to follow in the footsteps of Nottingham City Council .

The English authority last month pushed ahead with plans to introduce Britain's first Workplace Parking Levy against strong public opposition.

The s250-per-space annual charge was due to be introduced in 2010, but was pushed back to 2012 because of the recession.

Workers and businesses were among the critics, with some employers saying they would leave the city due to the introduction of the plan .