Workplace parking levy, congestion charges and Cycle Share Fund: EIR release

Information requested

1. How many councils have chosen to implement the workplace parking levy and how much it has raised for them? And all documentation held about the workplace parking levy, including correspondence sent and received (including internal), briefings, minutes/notes from meetings and analysis, from the last three months;

2. A full breakdown of where the £1m Transport Scotland committed to invest in bike share schemes went and how much was spent;

3. All documentation held about ‘the congestion charges’, including correspondence sent and received (including internal), briefings, minutes/notes from meetings and analysis, from the last three months; and

4. A breakdown of how the more than £7m to improve electric vehicle charging network Transport Scotland committed to provide to five councils was spent.

Response

As the information you have requested is ‘environmental information’ for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.

This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.

Part 1

The answer to your question is that the Scottish Government are not aware of any local authorities who have chosen to implement the workplace parking levy and therefore not aware of any funds having been raised through such a levy.

I have enclosed a copy of some of the information you requested in Annex B attached to this response. While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because exceptions under (10(4)(e) (internal communications) of the EIRs applies to that information.

The reasons why exceptions apply are explained in Annex A to this letter.

Part 2
In 2023, Transport Scotland provided £1.2 million of grant funding to Cycling UK to run the Cycle Share Fund. The breakdown of actual spend for that project in financial year 2023-24 is available in ANNEX B to this letter.

Part 3

I enclose a copy of some of the information you requested in Annex B that relates to congestion charging generally, given there is no defined “congestion charge” schemes in Scotland.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because exceptions apply under 10(4)(e) (internal communications) of the EIRs applies to that information.

The reasons why exceptions apply are explained in the Annex to this letter.

Part 4

The answer to your question is that the funding announced in July 2024 is through the Scottish Government’s £30 million Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund and relates to two distinct projects, one being taken forward by the North of Scotland collaboration consisting of Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Highland & Moray Councils and one being progressed by Dundee City Council. Due to the nature of the projects and the timescales associated with the various stages (e.g. public procurement and public electric vehicle charge point installation), this funding is provided over multiple years. To date, the North of Scotland project has claimed just over £257,000. Dundee City Council has not yet claimed any of this funding. This funding is expected to be drawn down in full by 2030.

The North of Scotland collaboration is expected to support the installation of 580 new public charge points and the Dundee City Council is expected to support the installation of more than 120 new public charge points.

ANNEX A - REASONS FOR NOT PROVIDING INFORMATION

Exceptions apply.

For all parts of this request, exceptions under regulation 10(4)(e) (internal communications) of the EIR applies to some of the information.

The exemption 10 (4)(e) is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exception. We recognise that there may be a public interest in the subjects, internal communications on these matters, if released may cause confusion and misinform the public. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exception where appropriate, and releasing where the public interest lies in favour of disclosing the information.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

EIR 202500475013 - Information Released - ANNEX B

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