Parking idea that must be squashed
THE description of the plan to charge for workplace parking as the wrong tax in the wrong place at the wrong time sums up succinctly all that is wrong with this half-baked idea.
Yet worryingly it is one Leeds City Council finds itself unwilling to rule out in the face of central government–enforced belt tightening.
Nottingham will be the trailblazer for this spurious attempt to cut traffic congestion, with companies that offer more than 11 spaces for staff set to be charged 250 for each one from 2012.
Whether they choose to pass the cost on to their employees will be a matter for the firms themselves to decide, though the chances are that they will be reluctant to foot the bill themselves.
Either way, it is a ridiculous handicap to pass on to companies and individuals alike at a time when the country is still struggling to rebuild after the longest and deepest recession since the Second World War.
The scheme's stated aim is to reduce congestion by deterring unnecessary car journeys and raising funds to improve public transport, yet some see it as a cynical way for councils to replace revenue lost in the looming government cuts.
The fact is that for many people public transport is either impractical, non-existent or even more expensive than a car.
Years of chronic under-investment in Britain's public transport has seen to that.
This idea is not particularly new, of course. The NHS has been charging staff to park for some time and Leeds Metropolitan University has introduced a pay-and-display system for a limited number of parking spaces at its Beckett Park campus.
The move allowed the university to trumpet its green credentials, but it has come at the expense of residential roads which have found themselves swamped by cars as students and staff try to dodge the charges.
If the workplace parking tax is introduced in Leeds, we can no doubt look forward to see such scenes repeated right across the city.
Ways forward
CONGRATULATIONS to all those who received the GCSE results they hoped for today, and commiserations to those who didn't.
In the case of the latter, it's important to remember that a bad batch of grades doesn't mean the end of the world.
Instead it's time to sit down and reassess the best way forward, whether it's resits, a college course or a move into the world of work through an apprenticeship.
There are so many options available to young people and help is at hand to ensure you make the choice that is right for you.
But whatever you do, just don't panic.
Up for it...
LEEDS' league season finally got going with a win against Millwall on Saturday and tonight they host Leicester City in the Carling Cup.
Let's hope United can build on the weekend's momentum by frying the men from the Walkers Stadium.
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Weather for Leeds
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -2 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North west
