Council withdrawing free staff car park !!!!

londonbabe73

Hi,

I work as a London borough and part of the saving after cutting staff pay is to start charging us for the car park despite the fact I need my car to do my job.

They are starting off at £2 per day for now but claiming that just because we pay for a space it doesn't guarantee there is going to be one when we get there ??!!! So effectively they can hand out tons of passes because they don't have the refund us if we can't get a space .

Also they have demanded that we pay a month in advance despite the fact we get paid in arrears and in order to give up our access we have to give a months notice it stinks as it's another £40 PCM I've got to find but short of getting the bike out ( not looking forward to winters ) we are stuck I have queried the terms as I don't think there fair.

Help please !!! :mad:

bignred05

the same things happened in our local council

free car parking (for the chosen few) has now been replaced by a £20 a month charge for every council building car park, the £20 gets taken out of your salary every month
and they only release enough pass to each car park, meaning there should be a space for every one

also if your off on leave, or sick you still pay the full £20, this is still very very cheap, as opposite the main council building is a private car park charging £3.50 a day

this was as a result of massive saving to be made by the council due to government cuts etc

browneyedbazzi

Sorry to say it, but a lot of other local authorities have done the same thing and got away with it. I do think it's terrible to tell someone they are required to have a vehicle available for work use and then charge for parking, but unless your contract actually says you're entitled to a free car parking space I don't know what can be done about it. (when I took my current job I made sure this was included in my contract!)

custardy

londonbabe73 wrote: »

Hi,

I work as a London borough and part of the saving after cutting staff pay is to start charging us for the car park despite the fact I need my car to do my job.

so what would happen if you came in by bike?

ohreally

londonbabe73 wrote: »

I need my car to do my job

Have them supply you with a council vehicle.

londonbabe73

I sent an email to facilities management today as the policy is laughable
They also want to demand if you are not an employee ie a temp you must pay by direct debit ( in advance of course!!)

Personally I think if everyone had a back bone we could have fought it because it's outrageous that your on a pay freeze yet now you have to pay out to do my job the mileage payments are crap too .

Am considering taking my bike and if I have to do a visit take the damm bus !!!! ( and take all day instead of couple of hours)

Also if you on holiday for 2 weeks you still have to pay it's like the bloody gym !!!! But at least when I pay I know I can get in !!!

LondonDiva

I work in the NHS and we pay £80 per month to park. We also have no guarantee of a parking space - turn up early and you'll get a space, otherwise tough. The alternative is to come by public transport.

lynzpower

My temptation would be to pay it then to try to claim it back as an essential expense, along with your mileage and parking costs etc.

One london council I know of pays the travelcard costs of those who need to be out and about.

In our case public transport is better than driving, as you don't need to find a parking space when visiting sites or residents etc, or make sure you have change to pay parking meters etc.

That said we do not have to carry too much kit.

Have you spoken to your trade union?

lynzpower

LondonDiva wrote: »

I work in the NHS and we pay £80 per month to park. We also have no guarantee of a parking space - turn up early and you'll get a space, otherwise tough. The alternative is to come by public transport.

Do you go out and about? I have known many health visitors, social workers, cpns etc who do not drive around and always use PT but of course the costs of these journeys are paid.

eg I lived in zone 3 and worked in zone 1: I would already buying my travelcard to get to work so the other journeys in z1/2/3 would be free to the employer. However, if i was to do another specific journey that my own travelcard wouldnt cover, then of course they pay for it as long as I prove it is on council business.

vax2002

How exactly do you need the vehicle for work .
where is your union on this, jumping up and down wearing green namby pamby boiler suits ?
If the vehicle is required as part of your work then they must have some duty to pay for its parking, or effectively you are paying to work for them.
Council mileage schemes are voluntary so I would take my own car out of their use even if i had to pay to park elsewhere, the cost of leasing a vehicle fleet would soon put the bean counters back on their chairs.
The trouble you are going to have is getting others to stick by it, people have become so used to bending over backwards they should be charging employers to sweep the floor.

Pseudonym8

londonbabe73 wrote: »

Hi,

despite the fact I need my car to do my job.

Claim it on expenses or don't bring your car in.