BHA criticises council’s weekly commuter charge plan

The Bristol Hoteliers Association (BHA) has criticised councillors’ plans to introduce a £20 weekly charge for commuters to park in the city centre workplaces, saying it is “yet another blow to the long-term recovery” of their businesses.

The news comes after Bristol City Council’s transport policy committee approved spending up to £1m to draw up an outline business case for the levy, which would charge businesses in the central area that currently offer free staff parking places. 

According to the council’s plan, it will be down to the individual companies to decide whether to absorb the costs themselves or pass the fee on to their employees. 

The BHA has estimated that around 9,000 employees could be affected by the levy, which the council claims could help cut congestion and air pollution in the city centre and could raise up to £10m per year to improve public transport. 

Earlier this year, hospitality employers were also required to absorb the costs of the increased National Living Wage, which the association believes the city council should be supporting. 

Raphael Herzog, chair of the BHA, said: “This would be yet another challenge for BHA members in the city centre. 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.

“We understand the importance of reducing carbon emissions to improve the air quality in the city centre and to cut congestion, but to encourage people to leave their cars at home, there have to be viable and efficient alternatives, available to the travellers when they are needed.”

He added: “The BHA wants the council to reconsider this plan and we are again calling on the council to show some significant support for the city’s hospitality sector, which makes a huge contribution to the local economy but which is continuing to struggle in the current climate.”