News from Westminster Labour
Westminster Council unveils £2,000 a year ‘night-life parking tax’
Westminster Council has announced a £2,000 a year ‘night-life parking tax’ for casino workers, musicians, actors, restaurant and bar workers and others who keep the West End evening economy working. The Council says that it is offering night time workers the ‘concession’ of paying £8 a night to park in one of the Council’s West End car parks from 9th January 2012, following the Council’s decision to ban free parking on single yellow lines in the Evening and on Sundays. This ‘concession’ works out at £40 a week – £2,000 a year.
Westminster Council announced this ‘bargain offer’ after a massive outcry by low-income night workers at the prospect of having to pay daily parking charges of up to £4.80p an hour to park in the West End.
Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, Leader of the Labour Group, said; “This latest Westminster parking madness will cost low-income West End night workers up to £2,000 a year. It is no relief or comfort for the many West End evening workers who have no choice but to commute to work by car from the Home Counties and the London suburbs because there is no public transport alternative at 3am in the morning. How on earth does the Council expect people to pay an extra £2,000 a year when incomes are static and people are already struggling with the impact of the recession? Does the Council expect West End businesses to foot the extra £2,000 a year for each member of staff who needs to bring their car to work? This is effectively a tax on work and is the last thing that either businesses or employees need when we are in the middle of an economic storm.”
“Westminster Conservatives are so out of touch with reality that they actually believe that charging West End workers £8 a night to park is ‘good news’. If the Government needed any reason to step in and stop this madness then this is the time to act.”
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