Plans to charge health care workers an annual fee for a parking permit in North Berwick have been condemned as a ‘tax’ on some of Scotland’s lowest paid staff.
East Lothian Council has said carers will require a £10 annual parking permit to carry on visiting their clients at home by car once the town’s new parking charges come into effect.
However the move has been condemned by health union UNISON who are calling on the local authority to rethink the fee.
John Hackett, UNISON Scotland co-lead for health, said: “Asking these essential workers to pay for parking is effectively a tax on some of the lowest paid in Scotland.”
East Lothian Council said its new permit system would see residents pay for a £40 a year pass to park outside their homes with tradespeople and visitors able to buy a £4 daily pass.
Short term let operators will also be able to buy £30 a week permits for a maximum of 25 weeks of the year.
However the RNLI is being offered free passes to park while carers and health staff will have to pay.
A council spokesperson said it anticipated health care employers would foot the bill for the annual permits which they say covers the cost and administration fees.
Mr Hackett said the union was asking the council to reconsider its position.
He said: “These staff provide health and care service 24 hours a day seven days a week. And their shift patterns are often not compatible with public transport timetables, so driving is a necessity for most of them.”
Local ward councillor Jeremy Findlay also hit out at the charge.
He said: “I believe it is wrong to charge healthcare workers any fee at all. They perform a vital service to vulnerable residents and extra burdens should not be placed on these vital workers. This is indicative of how badly thought out this whole process has been.”
North Berwick is the first town in East Lothian to introduce parking charges in a move the council says is aimed, primarily, at improving the turnover of spaces in the town centre.
A council spokesperson said: “Like others responding to an emergency, RNLI staff are already exempt from penalty. Crew members often attend the station in their own vehicles and currently receive a card for display when responding to an emergency. The change being introduced is that permits will now be issued online, so that it is recognised that the vehicle belongs to RNLI staff responding to an emergency.
“Healthcare worker permits could be for staff who, for example, visit clients/service users in their own home.
“The expectation is that the employing organisation would apply and pay for the permit, rather than the employee. The charge is a cost recovery/administration fee which is in line with what is charged in other council areas.”
By Marie Sharp Local Democracy Reporter
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency. It is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
