Councillor Jane Urquhart (portfolio holder for Transport and Area Working at Nottingham City Council) will be outlining the council’s proposals for generating funding through the Workplace Parking Levy. She will address town hall officials at a conference entitled “Financing the future of local government: Generating new Revenue Streams” in London tomorrow.

Nottingham is one of England’s eight Core Cities employing over 300,000 people. It has a local economy worth more than £11.2bn which has been growing at a faster rate than the national or regional economies.

To ensure this level of growth can be maintained in the long term it’s important to address the city’s traffic congestion which is literally putting the brakes on our competitiveness, costing the local economy £160m every year. In the current financial climate, Nottingham City Council recognises it’s more important than ever to do what we can to boost the local economy.

The council’s proposals for a Workplace Parking Levy (WPL) will help boost Nottingham’s economy. Councillor Urquhart says: “With the increase in fuel costs and traffic congestion, a tram network is essential to keep people moving. It will encourage those who can, to leave the roads for others who wish to use them. It will benefit every citizen and every business. Similarly the £300m plus government investment in NET Phase Two will provide a massive boost to the economy. But we need to raise funding locally and the best way to do this is through the WPL. No WPL no tram extension. No WPL no station improvements. We cannot afford to jeopardise the future of the city. This is the time for brave decisions.”

The Workplace Parking Levy will also address the longer term needs of the city. Cllr Urquhart continues: “The UK will recover from the current economic crisis, and therefore it’s important to be prepared for the future, rather than focussing purely on the short term.

“All too often decision makers are accused of focussing on the short-term and ducking the difficult issues; not in Nottingham. We’re facing the transport challenges of the 21st century. We've recognised we need to pursue sustainable solutions for the future.”

The WPL will contribute to providing better public transport alternatives, building on one of the best local transport networks in the country. The WPL will help support:

- a tram system that spans the entire city

- a modern railway station

- more and better Link buses serving businesses.

Much of the traffic congestion in Nottingham is caused by commuters driving to free parking spaces at one of the 500 large employers of the public and private sectors. Nottingham City Council believes it’s only fair that these larger employers stop being part of today’s problem and start being part of tomorrow’s solution. The Levy won’t apply to businesses with ten or fewer parking spaces.

Cllr Urquhart concludes: “In Nottingham we’re prepared to take tough decisions for the long-term benefit of the city. We’ll always continue to listen and do everything we can to support people to use the bus, tram or train or to try walking or cycling to work. We believe Nottingham's go ahead approach will keep it moving ahead for generations.”