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Scottish Budget 2019/20 (now mostly about workplace parking)

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  1. chdot
    Admin

  2. Stickman
    Member

    I wonder when Scott Douglas, the Tories media chief, was crafting this campaign against giving councils powers to impose a WPL he forgot that he seconded this motion by his colleague Nick Cook? Maybe it slipped his mind.

    http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/download/meetings/id/58677/minutes_of_the_meeting_of_9_august_2018

    “To note the merits in principle of pursuing the power for Edinburgh to seek consent to introduce a Workplace Parking Levy.
    2) To agree that Council officers would develop a balanced paper within in one cycle which set out the arguments and rationale for and against the possible introduction of a Workplace Parking Levy, providing an informed basis for a decision by the Committee.
    3) To note the introduction of the Transport (Scotland) Bill 2018.
    4) To agree that the Council would respond to the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee call for evidence on Stage 1 of the Transport (Scotland) Bill, which closed on the 28 September 2018 and that the submission would inform the Committee of the agreement and intent outlined above.“

    Posted 5 years ago #
  3. Morningsider
    Member

    ARobComp - briefly, there are three types of road in Scotland:

    Trunk roads: Scottish Ministers are the roads authority for the trunk road network, with Transport Scotland acting as managing agents. Funding for trunk road enhancements, structural repairs and routine maintenance is allocated in the annual Scottish Budget. The network has been split into four geographic areas and day-to-day management contracted out to "operating companies", with a fifth contract covering the Forth road bridges. In addition, a number of Design, Build, Finance, Operate contractors (e.g. Aberdeen Roads Ltd for the AWPR) have long-term contracts to operate parts of the network, with annual payments made by Transport Scotland.

    Local roads: Every local authority is required to maintain any road included in its list of public roads. Local authorities receive about 85% of their funding requirement from the Scottish Government, with the rest covered by the Council Tax and service charges. Most capital expenditure is financed through borrowing or grant funding from the Scottish Government. There is a complex formula used to decide the level of Scottish Government financial support for each Council, which looks at factors including the number of school pupils and elderly people, as well as indicators of deprivation and rurality. It is up to each Council to decide how much of its budget should be spent on roads and transport. As transport spending is discretionary, it tends to take a hit when budgets are tight to help cover expenditure on statutory services such as education.

    Sustrans, channelling Scottish Government funds, also provides capital grants to Councils for active travel schemes, generally with a requirement for "match funding" from the Council proposing the scheme. However, the amounts involved are relatively small - in the region of £45m in 2018/19 for the whole of Scotland.

    Private roads: Not be confused with private accesses, a private road looks like any other street (e.g. Craighouse Avenue). However, responsibility for its upkeep rests with the owners, usually the owners of the property fronting onto the road.

    Hope this is of use, let me know if you need anything else.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  4. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    I'm very taken by the idea that @Morningsider was in the pub the entire time between his two last posts.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  5. Morningsider
    Member

    IWRATS - the cheek! I wasn't in the pub that whole time. I have a vague recollection of nipping out to get a kebab at some point.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  6. Rosie
    Member

    In Edinburgh headline office rents across the city average £33 / square foot. The recommended minimum dimensions for a car space are 4.8 metres by 2.4 metres. That’s about 38 square feet. On that reckoning, the cost of a car space is about £1254 per year in central Edinburgh. There are fewer amenities in a car park in the way of heating, carpets and the like, but the £400 or so estimate that the levy will raise seems low compared to the luxury of having a space.

    I’ve worked in offices in Tollcross, Fountainbridge and now Exchange Crescent. All 3 had (limited) staff parking. I assume that the company paid rent for the designated space as part of the office rent.

    I’m prepared to have my reasoning, base figures and arithmetic corrected.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  7. jonty
    Member

    Is there anywhere in the city centre rented by a public sector organisation? What are the arrangements for Waverley Court? Seems like you might be able to get some solid figures (at least for average square-meter rent) with an FoI request. (Might be 'commercially sensitive' though.)

    Posted 5 years ago #
  8. neddie
    Member

    The [trunk-road and motorway] network has been split into four geographic areas and day-to-day management contracted out to "operating companies"

    If only they could hand the operation and financing of the trunk-road & motorway network to the existing operators and allow them to charge market rates for its use. The whole thing would be self-sustaining - no need for any taxpayer input at all...

    Posted 5 years ago #
  9. neddie
    Member

    With regard to people driving into Edinburgh from other cities and satellite towns and villages (regional travel demand):

    Untitled by Ed, on Flickr

    Posted 5 years ago #
  10. Rosie
    Member

    @neddie - Bring back the turnpike!

    Posted 5 years ago #
  11. ARobComp
    Member

    Thanks @Morningsider for this input. Super helpful.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  12. chdot
    Admin

    And the MOST important issue in Perth is -

    https://twitter.com/cllrangusforbes/status/1096751624792481792

    Posted 5 years ago #
  13. Stickman
    Member

  14. Rosie
    Member

    And more hysteria in the Daily Mail

    "255,381 travel to work by car or van in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

    And more than half of these journeys are made by commuters who travel in from other local authority areas."

    Which is a point that Lesley Riddoch makes. Why should local authorities in Edinburgh pay for commuters from Perth?

    https://twitter.com/mike_blackley?lang=en

    Posted 5 years ago #
  15. Rosie
    Member

    The Daily Mail does seem to be running a campaign against this. Two birds for one stone - they are pro-car and anti-SNP. Why else these acres of coverage of something (sadly) so trivial?

    Also this "paying to go to work" mantra. Haven't they heard of pricey season tickets for rail travel?

    Posted 5 years ago #
  16. toomanybikes
    Member

    Also this "paying to go to work" mantra. Haven't they heard of pricey season tickets for rail travel?

    Exactly! Are they soon going to be campaigning for the government to cover petrol costs also, or is the status quo cost of driving to work somehow exactly correct?

    Posted 5 years ago #
  17. chdot
    Admin

    “or is the status quo cost of driving to work somehow exactly correct?”

    Apparently not, it’s still going down relative to the cost of PT.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  18. chdot
    Admin

  19. chdot
    Admin

  20. chdot
    Admin

  21. Stickman
    Member

    Today the Tories are driving a diesel lorry with an anti-WPL poster around the central belt. They kicked off their stunt in the car park of a nursing home in an officially designate High Pollution zone in Edinburgh. Couldn’t be much clearer what their view on pollution is.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  22. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    Miles Briggs MSP was quoted as saying;

    "A racing automobile with its bonnet adorned with great tubes like serpents with explosive breath ... a roaring motor car
    which seems to run on machine-gun fire, is more beautiful than the Victory of Samothrace."

    Posted 5 years ago #
  23. LaidBack
    Member

    Think this was quite funny and shows that Labour and Tory parties in Scotland are unable to handle contradictions of WPL and 21st century. (Yes SNP and Greens have their own but James Kelly couldn't explain why WPL was policy in Labour election material but apparently not now.
    As not seen in state media.
    https://www.thenational.scot/news/17450887.watch-james-kelly-gets-humiliated-in-holyrood-budget-debate/

    Posted 5 years ago #
  24. Rosie
    Member

    The Ferret. Scottish Conservative claims "half true."

    The Scottish Conservatives are correct that the new workplace levy would likely mean workers being charged to park at work, although this would only include those who were parking in designated space provided by their employer. It would not include free street parking and those who pay for existing parking not provided through their workplace. The figure of £500 per year is an estimate taken from the approximate cost of the levy in place in Nottingham, while no rate has been agreed at this stage.

    https://theferret.scot/car-park-tax-500-workplace-levy/

    Posted 5 years ago #
  25. Rosie
    Member

    My flabber is utterly gasted about what a big issue the Workplace Levy is.

    “THE parties fighting hardest against a new parking tax are also the ones who enjoy the most free parking at the Scottish Parliament, it has emerged.”

    I wouldn’t really think that the small financial hit would be an issue to MSPs. I’m assuming it’s for political reasons that they’re making such a song and dance about it.
    https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17472986.msps-in-free-parking-row/?ref=twtrec

    Posted 5 years ago #
  26. Ed1
    Member

    It may be best if charge is a percent of pre tax income rather than a flat rate.

    I would guess they should make it free for electric cars.

    MSPs that are driven to work should also pay the charge would guess.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  27. chdot
    Admin

    When the SP was new and based at the Assembly Hall, I did the Spokes survey of MSPs parking space requirements.

    It had been assumed/planned that each one would want/need a space.

    Can’t remember precise details, but about half knew they wouldn’t be wanting/needing one.

    Those were the days when things were done with paper and there was a high proportion of questioairres filled in and returned!

    Posted 5 years ago #
  28. toomanybikes
    Member

    Given that driving to work correlates with income, I think a flat rate is fine.(and far easier to administer.)

    Free for electric cars encourages more electric car spaces, but only for commuters at specific companies , so doesn't really solve any problems to help increase general electric car ownership. Nor does it help congestion.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  29. acsimpson
    Member

    Although I can see some benefit in not charging for spaces with a charger available I think it is a short term solution. Perhaps instead there could be a 1 year exemption for any space having a charger installed.

    Given that it is the company which is liable for paying the levy I don't see how it could be income linked. If a company decides to charge it's higher earners more for their space that is their business.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  30. gembo
    Member

    just those on high salary or with disability who have the parking at Cooncil HQ

    Posted 5 years ago #

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