Issue - meetings

“Officers are developing a small scheme for a workplace parking levy (WPL) across one section of East Oxford.  If that scheme is approved, the revenue it generates will be spent on just one new bus route to serve only those commuters who would otherwise drive to work in that “eastern arc”.

This is a step in the right direction, but we need to be far more ambitious. A larger scheme would do far more to help us achieve our climate action goals; and to reduce congestion and improve air quality; Crucially it would generate far more ring-fenced revenue to spend on better public transport to benefit all our residents as well as just a few commuters.

The WPL in Nottingham has so far raised more than £75 million (at least £10m each year), which the council has spent on public transport, including an electric bus network.

The Transport Act 2000 says that the regulations for WPLs are designed to be flexible. The only restriction on WPLs is that “a scheme may only be made if it facilitates the policies set out in the Local Transport Plan (LTP)”. As a Standard Note from the House of Commons Library puts it: the regulations “aim to create maximum flexibility as to how and where the money raised is spent”.

Council requests that the Corporate Director Environment & Place considers expanding the WPL scheme and developing a business case for Connecting Oxford that covers a much wider area and not just the “eastern arc”.”

The Motion was lost by 30 votes against to 29 votes for.

Councillor Pressel proposed and Councillor John Sanders seconded the following motion:

“Officers are developing a small scheme for a workplace parking levy (WPL) across one section of East Oxford.  If that scheme is approved, the revenue it generates will be spent on just one new bus route to serve only those commuters who would otherwise drive to work in that “eastern arc”.

This is a step in the right direction, but we need to be far more ambitious. A larger scheme would do far more to help us achieve our climate action goals; and to reduce congestion and improve air quality; Crucially it would generate far more ring-fenced revenue to spend on better public transport to benefit all our residents as well as just a few commuters.

The WPL in Nottingham has so far raised more than £75 million (at least £10m each year), which the council has spent on public transport, including an electric bus network.

The Transport Act 2000 says that the regulations for WPLs are designed to be flexible. The only restriction on WPLs is that “a scheme may only be made if it facilitates the policies set out in the Local Transport Plan (LTP)”. As a Standard Note from the House of Commons Library puts it: the regulations “aim to create maximum flexibility as to how and where the money raised is spent”.

Council requests that the Corporate Director Environment & Place considers expanding the WPL scheme and developing a business case for Connecting Oxford that covers a much wider area and not just the “eastern arc”.”

Following debate, the motion was lost by 30 votes against to (28) 29 votes for.