UKC

The company I work for is currently reviewing all of their offices and downsizing most of its office space due to the large majority of people now choosing to work from home since COVID.  Given this they have said they are closing the office I currently work out of and are moving into a much smaller city centre office (90 desks to 16 desks). 

The current office has dedicated car park with 50+ parking spaces.  The new office will have 3 parking spaces and these will be used by the companies site vehicles so essentially there will be no parking at the office.  This now means that if I drive into the office I will have to use and pay for parking in a public car park or use the train to get to the office.  While I accept I should pay for my commute to the office (petrol or train ticket), as they are now removing a free service should they be paying for my car parking at the office or al least contributing towards it? 

I am contracted to work out of a certain office but there is no mention of free parking in my contract but since they have always provided something and are now removing that facility should I be expected to pay for parking as its about £15 a day which soon adds up?

Have you asked if there is any financial support for parking from your employer? 

Given that there were 50 spaces for 90 desks, they never guaranteed free parking for everyone at that office. It just likely worked out that way due to enough people taking public transport. 

Are you contracted to work out of "a particular office" or "any office"? If your contract has a particular location, then they will need to adjust the contract.

I don't believe they have any particular obligation, however if they are struggling to get people to use their office spaces then it would be sensible for them to make arrangements that assist their employees in doing so (e.g. reimburse parking expenses). You should speak to your manager about what support is available, and if 5they don't know consider speaking to HR as well. 

How often do you go into the office, instead of working from home or going to site? Do they require you to be in the office a particular number of days?

If I've done my 5-minute internet research correctly and found the right person, it looks like your train commute is lengthy but not terrible. Train to Waterloo, walk to Embankment, tube to Aldgate (assuming that's the city office they want to retain). Given the work you do though, I'm guessing it's useful to car commute in case you need to go out to a site as well. What's interesting is they seem to have 110 open jobs posted at your current location - would those actually be remote jobs?

PS - be careful when posting about your employer online using your real name. This thread alone is unlikely to be a concern, but depending on where the conversation/comments lead...

“While I accept I should pay for my commute to the office (petrol or train ticket), as they are now removing a free service should they be paying for my car parking at the office or al least contributing towards it?” 

Unfortunately not. Car spaces are an additional and significant cost to your employer, but a great perk for you. Them downsizing office space and reducing their car spaces is increasingly common for occupiers in current times. 

It's a pain for sure....we have this in the NHS....especially difficult for staff who work across bases and in the community but based in hospitals.....plus the added sting of having to have your own car and be insured for work use as part of the terms and conditions...

I suspect there won't be a lot of 'negotiation' from their side on this sadly...

Yeah, this.  We share a multi storey car park in Media city and we've seen the number of floors we have hived down slightly each year.  I do see it as a massive perk having a space when I look at the number of people parking on verges, risking tickets etc.  

It's a great incentive to make me get out of the house early, get a space, earlier finishing time, missing peak traffic etc but I'm always expecting it to be reduced to next to nothing each year.

In the case of a vehicle being essential for you to be able to complete your job I'd say that parking costs should be covered in the same way that they cover milage costs and any change in parking costs from the point that you sign the contract should be compensated for as it would obviously have influenced your decision to take the job. If they'd offered you £3,000 (rough equivalent to the OP's £15/day) less pay would you have taken the job?

We had a similar issue at a university where I worked. The university opened a new site so some staff would have to travel between sites however there wasn't enough parking at either site despite there being a permit system in place. It turned out that they were selling many more permits than there were places and people weren't happy.

What I find so silly - in an economic sense - is a company moving to a city centre in the first place.

Compared to out-of or edge of town properties the rent (or purchase price) will be higher, time spent accessing the office by whatever form of transport will be higher, the general outlook will be less enjoyable, potentially crime will be greater - both to the office or individuals - amongst other things.

[edit] Most likely the Directors are on an ego trip, having a posh office in a posh location - and spending money on it that could have gone on wages generally.

Depending on the firm/industry/business, clients like it. We have lost work due to our office being on a rubbish business park* near Stockport, instead of being in Manchester city centre.

*The office is actually nice and the facilities are really good, just there is nothing around it (a Morrisions) and no public transport links very near.

If you need your car for your job, yes, they should provide something. If not, nope.

In general, moving away from free parking/cheap parking in urban locations will be key to making people transition from private cars to public transport and active travel.*

*I understand that public transport and active travel infrsatructure need to improve MASSIVELY to make this happen to, eliminating cheap car parking is just one piece of the puzzle.

How can councils justify waging war on the electric motorist, while running diesel buses, as well as so many other diesel vehicles, themselves ?

Councils aren't waging a war on the motorist anywhere as far as I can see, let alone the electric motorist. They are so cash strapped, they have little budget to switch out their commercial fleet for an electric equivalent without some central government funding. Buses are also pretty much in the private sector outside London so the councils are hardly to blame. Having said that, in Manchester (where I am), the buses are (slowly) coming back under TfGM control and even now, the number of electric buses I see are increasing rapidly and we have an excellent, though with limited coverage, tram system. Very little is being done for the active travel options though.

The private motorist, whether electric or otherwise, is heavily subsidised, in both money and real estate, to the determent of active travel and public transport. The urban enviroment will be rapidly improved with a reduction in vehicle use, the majority of which is private vehicles with a single occupant. all IMHO of course.

You admitted they are "eliminating cheap car parking".

In this discussion the problems are caused by them imposing massive charges on business parking spaces.

They might argue it is a green initiative! I work on a rural campus with almost no public transport, but like all the city based staff on the campuses provided with trams and buses have to pay through the nose for parking. 

Even if they did pay for your parking, it would be seen as a benefit in kind and you would be taxed at your highest marginal rate on the value of that benefit .

No I didn't, or didn't mean to, I said they should be eliminating cheap car parking, they certainly aren't in Manchester, you can park for all day for £3-4. They should also be fining illegal parking to get more money into the coffers imho! Bring on the traffic wardens.....

Is it, I just thought the company had rented a building with only 3 parking spaces. Why is that the councils fault?

You could consider raising it with them at your next pay review, I suppose.  It can't be claimed as tax free expenses because it's ordinary commuting but they could pay you more, particularly if you'd be in the position to change jobs if they say no.

Or perhaps as you say switch to train or bus.  Driving into large cities is increasingly deprecated, with parking space taxes and congestion charges on the horizon.  If £15 per day is the cheapest you can find it sounds like this might be Manchester or Birmingham, say?

Though there's nothing actually stopping them "grossing it up" and paying it through the payroll, so the OP receives £15 per day extra pay.  While it's never affected me as I've tended to be on shorter contracts my employer has a "grossing up" policy so they can still pay expenses for longer contracts, it just means it costs them more (which they just bill to the client) as the tax/NI must be paid too.  I doubt they will, though, unless free parking was specifically part of the OP's contract.

"I just thought the company had rented a building with only 3 parking spaces. Why is that the councils fault?"

Businesses in Nottingham have to pay £458 a year tax for every parking space they have.

Thank you all for your pointers.  Its as I thought but worth asking the collective mind of UKclimbing

Are you aware of what deal they have been offered to move in there, there is a lot of empty office space at the moment with landlords desperate to fill them. I spspect rather than an ego trip the directors have looked at the numbers.