Bryn Online

Comment from Gary Wilkes
12.01.2008 - 20:15

Hi Alan,
Well most NHS Hospitals have been charging staff to park their vehicles on site for at least 15 years now, it was a very unpopular decision at the time, but as time has gone by, most staff have excepted this charge or (stealth tax) imposed on them by their employer.
Employees on Wigan Council should either consider coming to work by public transport or accept that they will have to pay for parking their vehicle at work, just like Jo Blogs does when shopping in Wigan.
I agree with Councillor Winstanley 100%.
For the record, we both work for the NHS.
Thanks for your posting Alan.
Regards
Gary

Comment from Observer
14.01.2008 - 19:03

For what it's worth, I think that council staff should be able to park for free (and no, I don't work for the council or any other public body!)

The fact is that most council workers are poorly paid, I reckon around £16k a year is about right.

This is because most of them are back office staff and are earning nothing like the £100,000-plus salaries of their bosses. There's this myth (put around by politicians mostly) that everyone working in the public sector is bleeding the public dry and it just isn't the case.

Comment from Gary Wilkes
15.01.2008 - 18:45

Dear Observer,
If the Council start charging staff for the privilage to park at work then its only fair that they charge local councillors also.
I pay Aprox £1.50 a week ,to park at Wrightington Hospital, I would expect a simular charge for all Council workers on a pay level up to £25k PA.
If you earn more you pay more.
Thanks for your posting.
Gary

Comment from Alan Edwards
16.01.2008 - 14:07

Hi Gary & Obsever
Surely free parking in a town centre location is classed as a benefit in kind?
Alan

Comment from Observer
19.01.2008 - 23:29

Alan,
I don't disagree that town centre parking isn't a benefit in kind, but all I'm saying is we really need to put a touch of realism into the debate.

Imagine if the following happened: Wigan MBC scrapped all free parking for staff, who then in turn decided that the cost of parking in the town centre wouldn't make the job worth it financially, so they then decide to leave (net result: high turnover of staff).
If that happened to be the case, the council may then start finding it difficult to recruit workers at its town centre offices without the lure of free parking to offset to rubbish wages they get. So the bosses then decide it may be best if the council moved lock stock and barrel out of Wigan town centre (keeping the town hall going of course for its civic significance) and moving to some business park in the middle of nowhere which has free parking and more office space at a cheap rent - but probably with lousy access unless you have a car.
So we'd have a council whose offices were inaccessable to the many just because some councillor thought the authority should cut back on parking fees (less than 1% of the authority's budget I believe).

I realise this is a lot of ifs, buts and maybes but let's face it, it's not beyond the realms of possiblity