Bristol city centre workplace parking levy plan scrapped

Plans for a workplace parking levy in Bristol have been dropped

Plans to introduce a workplace parking levy in Bristol have been dropped due to inflation and a stalled underground mass transit system.

The city council published a feasibility study report on 7 August after being ordered to by a judge.

It found a levy could raise millions of pounds every year to invest in the city's public transport.

However, mayor Marvin Rees said "now is not the time to create more costs for people" amid cost of living pressure.

A workplace parking levy charges businesses for employees parking at work in a bid to encourage commuters to use public transport and cut congestion and pollution.

According to the report, it would likely apply to about 9,000 parking spaces at workplaces in Bristol city centre.

"Bristol City Council is well-positioned to progress with the development of a workplace parking levy," the report said.

"The drive, vision and ambition of Bristol City Council is exciting and will clearly lead to a high-quality, sustainable transport system in Bristol," it added.

'It remains incomplete'

But Mr Rees has dismissed the plan. In his blog, he wrote: "A study was done into the idea of a workplace parking levy, which is lacking any modelling incorporating those major factors for its potential effectiveness.

"It remains incomplete and with the current stalling of the funding and ambition to take a mass transit system forward we have no plans to introduce this charge."

In 2021, the council commissioned the report at a cost of £30,000 as a potential option for funding upgrades to the city's public transport network.

Since then, it has been battling a freedom of information request made by Green Party councillor Ed Plowden for the report to be published, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Mr Plowden's request was repeatedly refused by the council and the Information Commissioner, but he appealed to the information rights tribunal which sided with him earlier this year.

'Such bad grace'

Posting on X, formerly Twitter, he said: "Glad that the report has finally been released after I had to get a judge's order to do so.

"Sad to see it done with such bad grace when the administration stated in 2021 it should be debated in public.

"Bristol Greens need time to consider this report, and may well be underwhelmed by it after such a fight to get to see it."