Scots teachers could be charged to park at school by council

Teachers could be charged £1 a day to park at school, under plans being considered by a cash-strapped council.

The proposal has been slammed by teaching unions, who say it would make it even harder to recruit teachers.

Depute provost Colin Brown, a Forfar independent councillor, put forward the plan, and has also suggested charging staff at Angus Council.

The says the proposal could bring in £320,000 a year in his town alone.

Angus Council is considering charging teachers to park at school.

But a spokesman for teaching union EIS Scotland said: “Teachers arrive at school early and often leave late, frequently have to carry heavy books for preparation and correction, plus public transport is often not a realistic option for travel to many schools.”

He added: “Teachers’ pay has been cut, in real terms, by more than 20% over the past decade so any area introducing a parking charge might find it more difficult to attract staff to its schools.”

Mr Brown claims that by expanding the system throughout Angus, the administration would more than meet its commitment of securing an income of £700,000 a year from parking.

Car parking charges are due to return to Angus as a whole later this year after a gap of more than two decades, and councillors are being asked to finalise details of how the system might work.

Thousands have put their name to an online petition calling for a period of free on-street parking amid fears the move will decimate town-centre trade.

Mr Brown said he would scrap on-street charges and replace the proposed £4-a-day charge for council car parks with a £1 a day levy and extend it to council premises.

He said: “If you take the public car parks in Forfar alone, the Greens, Myre and West Port, a charge of £1 a day would bring in £150,000 per annum.”

He said a £1 a day rate would bring in £68,250 a year at Angus House, £50,400 a year at the Forfar Community Campus and £36,000 a year at the three Forfar primary schools – Langlands, Whitehills and Strathmore.

Mr Brown added: “I am aware this is quite controversial and the proposal for parking charges at primary schools will be a hot potato, but I see no reason why these people should park free when those working in the shops in town have to pay perhaps £4 a day, which would work out at £100 a month.

“My plans for Forfar would bring in over £300,000, so if this was replicated throughout Angus it wouldn’t be difficult to bring in the £700,000.”