Edinburgh workplace parking tax: Council leader accused of waging ‘aggressive war on motorists’

EDINBURGH City Council leader Adam McVey has been accused of waging an “aggressive war on motorists” after revealing a workplace parking levy could cost drivers up to £15 million every year.

A man walks in an office car park.

Legislation plans are set to be introduced at Holyrood after a Greens/SNP deal.

Cllr Adam McVey said: “I’m absolutely in favour of the power being devolved to local authorities.

“There’s a big conversation to be had with the city around if this is something we want to take forward and if that money can go to things like additional park and rides, things like additional supported bus services in rural west Edinburgh, for example.

“We’ve done very high level scoping work on this so far, which shows a workplace parking levy could raise something between £3m and £15m for the city each year, with it probably coming in about the midway point of those figures.”

Conservative transport spokesman Cllr Nick Cook said: “The council leader’s statement lays bare his administration’s increasingly aggressive war on the motorist.

“Thousands of public sector employees, such as teachers and workers on the minimum wage, would be hammered by this unfair tax.”