Congestion charge plans scrapped for major UK city - but drivers could face new parking hike

Cardiff Council has ruled out the introduction of a controversial congestion charge, although drivers could face extra costs when parking at work under fresh plans.

The council's Cabinet has announced that it will not support a congestion charge following calls to introduce measures to crack down on pollution in the Welsh capital.

Proposals were first put forward in 2023 as the council looked to raise money to invest in public transport.

Among the proposed measures that could have been undertaken were a congestion charge, a Clean Air Zone and new parking fees.

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An Outline Business Case has been considered by Cardiff Council's Cabinet to assess the potential options available to raise funds for the city's transport network.

The council will consult on a Workplace Parking Levy over the autumn following the successful implementation of the scheme in Nottingham.

Levies are put on certain businesses which have parking spaces on their premises, with interest in the schemes growing as councils look to plug funding gaps.

Nottingham's Workplace Parking Levy scheme imposes an annual charge on parking spaces on businesses within the local authority area.

Businesses with 10 or fewer parking spaces may be entitled to a 100 per cent discount, as the council aims to use the funds for the redevelopment of Nottingham Railways Station and its Link bus network.

Employers in Nottingham which provide 11 or more liable parking spaces face costs of £592 per workplace parking place for 2026/2027.

The scheme typically applies to larger businesses, as many smaller businesses have fewer parking spaces, while services like hospitals are exempt.

However, concerns have previously been raised amid fears that businesses that are charged as part of the WPL would pass on the costs to their employees or customers.

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Data from Transport Nottingham shows that the Workplace Parking Levy has raised almost £90million, which has helped the city secure inward investment of over £1billion for transport.

In a bid to replicate the success of Nottingham's scheme, Cardiff Council said it would hold a consultation this summer to give residents the chance to respond.

Councillor Dan De'Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning and Transport, said: "Creating a high-quality public transport system to support economic growth in Cardiff is important to the city's future, and this has been set out in our 10-year Transport Strategy.

"Any scheme developed for Cardiff would be designed with fairness in mind, including exemptions and support for essential users.

"However, without introducing something like this, we will never be able to afford the public transport network that residents deserve."

Councillor De'Ath warned that Cardiff already had the highest car ownership rate of any UK Core City, adding that congestion will worsen without any action.

The consultation will outline the Workplace Parking Levy as the preferred option, although the congestion charge and a "do nothing" approach will also be included.

Any scheme would require secondary legislation under the Transport Act 2000 by the Welsh Government to provide the legal framework for it to be introduced.

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