Q) Why is the University changing its car parking charges?
The decision to revise our car parking charges was made after careful consideration of several factors, including our commitment to promoting sustainable travel alternatives, rising maintenance costs of our parking facilities, and our dedication to improving the overall parking experience on campus.
It is worth noting that the last review of car parking charges occurred in 2007, when the daily cost increased from 70p to £1. Since then, operating costs for car parking have increased over fivefold. In addition, the University has strengthened its commitment to sustainability, including declaring a climate emergency.
We have also made significant improvements to our sustainable transport offerings. These include subsidised bus fares, bike hire schemes, salary deduction options for new bikes or equipment (which come with tax and National Insurance savings), and interest-free loans for Swift season tickets.
Q) What are the new charges?
Daily parking: The daily car parking charge for colleagues will be £2.50 per day, if paying on arrival.
Monthly permit: For those staff who choose a monthly permit, the cost will be calculated at 0.75% of gross salary, capped to a maximum of £32 per month. See table below for details.
Q) When will the new charges take effect?
The new charges take effect 1 April 2024 (noting 1 - 3 April 2024 are closure days).
Q) Who is eligible for free parking?
Blue Badge holders.
Q) How do I organise a monthly permit?
If you currently pay for parking via your salary (purple permit), then you will automatically be switched to the new scheme on 1 April 2024 (noting closure days 1-3 April) unless you advise us of your wish to cancel.
The current purple permit windscreen permits will become invalid by 1 April 2024. New style permits will be issued to all who wish to remain on the payment from salary deduction, and you will be contacted via email when your new permit has been processed and is ready for collection or posted as required. Please note monthly payments are collected in arrears.
If you currently pay on arrival and you wish to join the new payment from salary deduction scheme, please complete an application form available on the intranet An application form can also be emailed to you if you contact carparking@contacts.bham.ac.uk
Applications to join the scheme will be accepted in advance from Monday 12 February 2024. You will not be charged via salary deduction until the April payroll and should continue to pay on arrival until the end of March 2024. To be included in the April payroll run, we will need your application by 11 April 2024.
Please note that the payment from salary deduction is only available to salaried staff. Those staff who are paid on an hourly basis, casual or temporary staff will be required to adopt the pay on arrival option.
Disabled permit holders will not need to do anything. New style permits will be processed in February 2024, and you will be contacted via email when your new permit has been processed and is ready for collection or posted as required.
If you wish to switch to the pay on arrival option or if you no longer require a parking permit, please email carparking@contacts.bham.ac.uk You may cancel at any time. However, your cancellation request should be submitted by 11 April 2024 to ensure that it is reflected in your April pay. (Please note funds via salary deduction are collected in arrears.)
Full details about how to obtain a monthly permit or to pay on arrival are available on the intranet here
Example payslip to help calculate monthly salary deduction;
Q) How is the university helping provide alternatives to driving to campus?
The University actively promotes sustainable travel among its community. Activities supporting this include staff salary sacrifice scheme for new bikes, subsidised bus fares and passes, free bike locks for students and subsidised bike locks for colleagues, new secure bike shelters, a Cycle-to Work salary sacrifice scheme (for purchases up to £4,000), a bicycle maintenance shop on campus, and the appointment of a Sustainable Travel Officer to coordinate all this activity. Find out more about Sustainable Travel at the University.
Q) Are there any incentives to help me travel without a car or bike?
- £1.50 bus fare for the university community from City Centre to Selly Oak
- 25% discounts on staff bus passes
- Interest free loans for staff train tickets
- Travel advice on the intranet, via email and at key welcome and induction events
You can read more about these initiatives on the Sustainable Travel intranet site.
Q) Will you be installing more secure bike spaces throughout campus?
We have more than 1,800 bike rack spaces throughout campus, 23 new bike lockers and have introduced new secure bike shelters (with more planned).
Q) What other modes of sustainable transport are available throughout campus?
The University of Birmingham hosts two hires schemes – the West Midlands Cycle Hire and Beryl e-scooters. These schemes let you hire a bike or e-scooter, ride it to where you need to go on campus or surrounding neighbourhoods, and leave it safe for the next user.
Q) Does the University have a car share programme?
The University is procuring a new car share programme for colleagues. By connecting colleagues who wish to share their daily commutes through an app, this programme will allow users to access dedicated car share parking bays at optimum locations across campus. More information will be shared with colleagues soon.
Q) How has this decision been made?
The decision to change the parking charges was agreed by the University Executive Board. To inform the decision making, the University undertook an extensive benchmarking exercise. In addition, meetings conducted by an independent company, WSP, gathered responses from key stakeholders (including students, staff, disability groups, and the University’s tenants) to help understand how changes would impact different user groups
Q) How do these charges compare to other organisations?
The new charges remain competitive with similar or local organisations who charge for parking. For example, the cost for NHS Trust staff parking at Queen Elizabeth Hospital is 1% of salary, the standard daily rate for parking at the University of Warwick is £3.00 a day, parking at Birmingham City University starts from £3.50 a day and parking at Loughborough University is charged at 0.75% of salary or £3.00 a day.
Q) How many people will it affect?
The University’s 2022 travel survey results showed that 40% (3,657) of colleagues regularly travel to campus as a single car occupant and 2.2% (767) had a shared car journey.
Q) What is the money from car parking charge spent on?
Parking charges income will be ring-fenced to fund the parking operation and to support and enhance the operation of the car parks and for environmental, social, and governance goals.
Q) Is parking free on weekends, bank holidays and closed days?
No. Charges will apply at weekends, bank holidays and closed days for all visitors, students and staff who pay on arrival (8am - 6pm) at the £2.50 daily flat rate. Colleagues signed up to salary deduction do not need to pay any additional day rate for visits to campus on weekends, bank holidays and closed days.
Q) What about visitors to the Barber Institute, Winterbourne Gardens, the Elgar Concert Hall and Lapworth Museum?
All visitors to campus (and venues within the campus) are expected to pay for parking, including at weekends. Visitor parking rates are as follows:
Monday - Friday (8am - 6pm)
Weekend charges (8am - 6pm) - £2.50 daily rate
Blue Badge holders will be exempt from charges.
Q) How do the new arrangements apply to students?
Parking availability for students is limited, and they are encouraged to travel to campus via other means. Students eligible to park on campus will pay the new daily rate.
Q) How do the new arrangements apply to Emeritus Professors, honorary staff and VIPs?
Emeritus Professors are eligible to apply for a Pay on Arrival permit, payable at the daily staff rate of £2.50. Honorary staff will not be eligible for a parking permit. Those who choose to park on campus will be categorised as a visitor and will be required to pay the visitor tariff. The process for securing parking permits for VIP visitors is not changing. Departments can purchase a visitor permit from Car Parking Services, but the price will increase to £7 (currently £5).
Q) What will happen to my parking pass if I need to take long-term leave?
If you have booked parental leave, please advise the car parking team at carparking@contacts.bham.ac.uk who will arrange a suspension of parking charges with the payroll team.
If you have a long-term sickness absence (i.e. over 4 weeks) please advise the car parking team at carparking@contacts.bham.ac.uk who will arrange either a suspension of charges, or a refund of paid charges after your return to work.
Confirmation of long-term absence due to sickness may be requested from your line manager.
Q) What is happening with the Selly Oak car park?
There are 220 parking bays at the Selly Oak campus. Colleagues can choose to park here and walk to campus (approx. 20-minute walk) for a day rate of £1. This option also allows colleagues to avoid the regular traffic congestion around campus. You can choose salary deduction or pay on arrival via RingGo or the payment machines. Please note, the RingGo location code is 15699.
Q) How can we ensure that the new parking charges are fair to all our colleagues?
One important consideration is the rising cost of living. We have ensured that the new parking arrangements do not disadvantage those on lower salaries. From April 2024, anyone earning under £29.3K will pay less than 2023 rates (see example table below) and the new structure will be phased in over four years.
An Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) has been undertaken which has concluded that a sliding scale of monthly charges linked to salary should offset the disproportionate impact on lower paid staff (particularly minority ethnic staff and women, who are concentrated in the lower pay quartiles).
Q) Why is the monthly fee capped at £32 a month? Does this advantage the higher paid?
On average, staff come to campus 3.5 times a week, costing those who have to use a car around £30 - £35 per month via pay on arrival. To ensure the new arrangements do not impose an additional administrative burden, we chose to cap the monthly fee at £32 per month. This will enable people to choose that option rather than register each individual visit via pay on arrival. Also, we did not want to discourage staff from coming to campus more than 3.5 times a week.