DORSET Council has been accused of being ‘heavy handed’ over the way it has reintroduced staff payment for car parking at County Hall.

Unison says it is not opposed to charging but believes it should be free for staff, including social workers, who need a car for work; and for those with a disability and may need to park near the office.

It says it is also wrong that the lowest paid will need to fork out £300 a year for a flexi permit, or pay £6 per day, when executives on over £100,000 a year will be paying much less of a percentage of their income.

It is believed some staff are already choosing not to park at County Hall and find spaces on residential streets instead.

The union says that a council decision to ban staff from public parking areas alongside County Hall for 30 days if they do not have a ticket is unjust as there are no traffic regulation orders currently in place, although the Council has since advertised new orders for an area close to barriers opposite the Colliton Club.

Said Unison branch secretary Becky Brookman: “There has been no meaningful consultation with the unions and this punitive measure of banning staff is outside of any disciplinary policy and procedure.

“We are not against charging but believe it should be free for those members of staff that are contractually required to use their car for work such as social workers, free for those who require parking nearby as a reasonable adjustment due to a disability, and that the charges should be based on your pay grade.  It shouldn’t be that a low paid employee must pay the same as the Chief Executive.  We also asked that a green travel Plan is introduced before any parking charges to encourage sustainable travel.

READ: Dorset Council wishy washy plan not making a difference

Councillors continue to get free parking at County Hall and other council car parks when on official business.

"We have asked to enter negotiations but management are not listening and forcing these charges though anyway.  Staff morale is at an all-time low,” said the Unison spokesperson.

Ms Brookman says the council has been warned that staff who are unable to pay will probably find residential streets to park on and then walk to work, having a detrimental effect on residents and businesses, by restricting the number of available spaces in the town.

Dorset Council’s head of Place, Jan Britten, says staff car parking charges were temporarily removed during the pandemic but have now been reintroduced.

He says all council employees who park at County Hall need to now either purchase a parking ticket on the day or have bought the council’s Flexi Stay, Short Stay or Restricted Mobility parking permit to park at County Hall.

"The charges for these tickets and permits are the same as those for members of the public who park in the council’s public car parks when they need to park for work in Dorchester. Council employees do not have a contractual right to free car parking and the car park does incur costs to maintain in a safe condition," he said.

“Reintroducing car parking charges at County Hall is helping to manage demand and to make sure that everyone is parking safely. Parking charges encourage employees to think about their parking and consider alternative forms of travel, including cycling and public transport. 

"During the period when parking charges were temporarily removed, the parking spaces at County Hall frequently filled up from relatively early in the morning and remained full throughout the working day. The reintroduction of charges means that there are now more spaces available through the day as people come and go. Better control of car parking is also important for safety reasons, as the irregularly shaped car park at County Hall includes several pinch points which can block emergency vehicles if someone were to park there.”

The Council says it started talking to the unions in May and delayed the implementation of charging until October 1, making several changes to the original proposals. It has said it will review the charges after six months.

“This new system is fairer for council employees whose work starts later in the day and those who visit County Hall for meetings. It is also more efficient as fewer employees are having to spend time driving around looking for somewhere to park.

“We are monitoring the impact of car parking charges at County Hall on nearby residential streets.  At this point it time, we have no evidence of any concerns, but we will take appropriate action if this does become an issue.”