MORE than eight out of ten city firms have renewed their licences for the workplace parking levy.
The second year of the levy is due to begin today with companies in Nottingham that have more than 10 car parking spaces paying £334 per space.
The levy was introduced last year to pay for the city's new tram lines and the refurbishment of Nottingham Station.
Firms with more than ten employees are charged for each parking space, with the cost usually passed on to staff.
And this year the charge has risen by 16 per cent, compared with the £288 per space charged last year.
Just over 2,900 employer premises were licensed under the levy in the past year, with 86 per cent of these having already renewed their licences for the year from today.
One company that has had to pay the levy is Imperial Tobacco, on Lenton Industrial Estate.
The firm has 420 car parking spaces and chose to pass £100 plus VAT on the levy on to each employee who used the car park.
But it also agreed to pay for any staff who signed up to do some voluntary community work, with around 150 employees taking the opportunity over the last year.
Tim Vernon, Imperial Tobacco's human resources manager at the Nottingham site, said: "It was fantastic to see so many of our employees give their time to support good causes in Nottingham over the last year and many have said they wish to continue this throughout 2013.
"The introduction of the parking levy wasn't popular but it provided a great opportunity for Imperial Tobacco to support its local community."
Derbyshire and Notts Chamber of Commerce says the inflation-busting rise in the cost of the workplace parking levy this year is too much for some companies to afford to pay.
But the city council has not had to take enforcement action against any companies for not paying it. And it says it has yet to identify any business that is leaving the city because of the levy.
Councillor Jane Urquhart, the council's portfolio holder for planning and transportation, said: "The scheme has been a success; 99 per cent of all identified workplace parking places were licensed in the first licensing period, and 86 per cent of employers have already renewed their licences for the next licensing period, securing funding for public transport improvements.
"The workplace parking levy has also had a positive impact in terms of employers better managing their parking facilities."
