Should Babergh's Staff pay to park?

Once again recently there was a wingeing article in the dead tree press about how 'unfair' it is that Babergh's staff are not being asked to pay to park their cars in Council owned car parks when car parking charges have been imposed in public car parks for all who stay more than three hours.

When asked I have been very clear with regard to my opinion on this matter, but to re-iterate, I think it would be quite wrong for Babergh's staff to have to pay.*

Do the staff of Delphi have to pay when they use the firm's car park? No they do not. Do Tesco's or Waitrose's staff...again no. If an employer is in the happy position of owning a car park then it is up to them as to whether or not to charge their employees, but it is unheard of for them to do so. Why should Babergh be any different?

Additionally it is worth reiterating that the staff at Babergh, as at many other public bodies in the current difficult financial circumstances, have already made significant sacrifices in terms of performance payments, wages foregone and a limit on promotion potential. Some are likely to be made redundant and lose their jobs altogether. I really do feel that to ask them to stump up to pay to park their cars at this time would be small minded and wrong. Such a move would sour what remains, somewhat against the odds, a good staff/management relationship at the Council.

The article suggested that not just officers but that also Councillors should pay. This raises complexities related to the whole area of councillors' allowances and remuneration. I personally would have no objection to paying on the couple of occasions each month (or rather less) that I am at the Hadleigh offices for more than 3 hours at a time, but it is not really as simple as that since, in theory at least, such parking fees would be repayable to me as a legitimate expense.

I would add that if councillors were 'fairly' remunerated for their efforts, bearing in mind the opportunity cost of not earning money elsewhere, they would be completely unaffordable. But of course councillors do not do the job for the money!


*of course if required to vote in the Council Chamber on this at a later date, I will not come to the debate with a closed mind, and will take into account when voting all arguments and opinions raised in that debate.