Bristol workplace parking scheme scrapped by city council
A plan for a workplace parking levy on businesses in Bristol has been scrapped, the BBC has learned.
Bristol City Council wanted to raise £27m by imposing the charge on parking spaces owned by companies.
The Federation of Small Businesses said the levy would harm local businesses which the council claimed would cost firms £1 per day per space.
But the charge has been dropped by the Liberal Democrat-ruled council which said it was not practical to implement.
The party wanted to use the money to fund several transport projects including a high-speed bus route to the city centre.
Councillor Tim Kent said they would look at ways of using business rates to raise funds and added the parking levy scheme faced "a lot of legal hurdles".
"One of the key things we've said it that it shouldn't just be the residents and citizens that contribute, it should be business as well.
"We never firmly said we'd go down that route [of a working parking levy] but we've always been clear that it was our favoured option at the time.
"Things have changed and another option has presented itself."