Plans to introduce parking charges on Bristol city centre workplaces have been slammed by hotel bosses.
Bristol City Council recently approved proposals to develop an outline business case for the levy, which would see companies with free parking spaces charged £20 a week. Businesses will be able to decide whether to absorb the costs or pass them on to employees.
The local authority has said the move could raise up to £10m, with the money spent on improving Bristol’s public transport.
It is estimated the plans could impact around 9,000 employees who currently park in Bristol for free, although exceptions could be made for disabled people who rely on private cars, hospital workers and other groups.
Bristol Hoteliers Association (BHA), which promotes the interests of hotels around the city, has described the plans as “another blow” to the sector.
BHA Chair Raphael Herzog said: “The nature of our business means we have staff making very early starts and very late finishes, when access to alternative forms of getting to and from work is limited. Earlier this year, we were hit with having to take on the costs of the increased national wage and this feels like another blow to our businesses, which the city council should be supporting.”
Mr Herzog said hotels understood the importance of reducing carbon emissions and cutting congestion, but “viable and efficient alternatives” for commuters were needed.
“We’re disappointed that we were not consulted about plans to introduce this workplace parking levy; we found out about it through media reports,” he added. “We’ve had a difficult summer in terms of occupancy, which I think is down to a combination of the continuing cost-of-living crisis, the unpredictable weather and the fact that more people seem to have gone abroad this year.”
The BHA has called on the council to look at charging Airbnb properties for licences instead.
“That would generate some extra income to invest in transportation and also be a show of confidence in our businesses,” said Mr Herzog. “I urge councillors to show their support for our sector by working to ensure hospitality businesses are included among the list of organisations who will not be charged.”