Labour have said no to implementing Holyrood’s workplace parking tax – despite council chiefs themselves developing plans to charge for parking in North Ayrshire.

The Labour administration passed a motion against the introduction of a Workplace Parking Levy at last Wednesday’s Full Council Meeting – which would hit workers using their employers private car parks.

Labour blasted the levy saying it would not raise enough cash to help the council’s coffers, while the SNP hit back saying if NAC don’t want to implement the devolved power no-one is going to make them.

This is after North Ayrshire councillors agreed at last year’s budget for officers to develop separate proposals to introduce charging for car parking across the area – with final details of these plans still to be announced.

Cabinet member for Health and Social Care Cllr Robert Foster, said: “North Ayrshire Council has had budget cuts of over £90million from the SNP government since 2010, it’s time we had genuine solutions to the funding crisis that is crippling councils all across Scotland. Imposing a car parking tax on workers in North Ayrshire would hit those who can least afford it the hardest.

“It shows how much contempt the SNP have for workers in both the public and private sector, they are proposing to exempt NHS workers from their car park tax I want to know why NHS workers are more important to the SNP than our teachers, janitors, admin workers?”

SNP’s Cllr Marie Burns responded: “I know that Labour are not strong on facts but this is ridiculous. The Workplace Parking Levy is an option that is being given to councils; if they don’t want to implement it then no one is going to make them.

“So no one will introduce such a levy in North Ayrshire unless a majority of councillors agree. The Labour administration need to get their priorities right.”