Labour Councillors are looking forward to Tuesday’s meeting of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee, where the Green administration is finally presenting a report on a Park & Ride scheme.

Labour have been calling for a Park & Ride scheme for months now, but the Green administration has dragged its heels and appeared unenthusiastic about the prospect, despite the countless benefits such schemes have proven to have on air quality, congestion, and carbon emissions.

Labour identified funds in last year’s council budget underspend to direct towards Park & Ride schemes, which residents asked for in the city’s first ever Climate Assembly.

The long-awaited report that will be debated on Tuesday sets out plans for a Park & Ride bus scheme trial at Mill Road to begin in June 2022.

Cllr Gary Wilkinson, Labour’s opposition spokesperson on environment, transport and sustainability matters, said:

“We have been calling on the Green administration for months now to commit to delivering a Park & Ride scheme, in line with the recommendations of the Climate Assembly we set up.

“After consistent lobbying from my Labour colleagues and I, the administration is finally bringing forward plans for a Park & Ride trial at Mill Road.

“I welcome this report – better late than never – but I hope we see more urgency from the Council in making progress on the feasibility study to explore permanent sites that it agreed to, if we are serious about reaching carbon net zero by 2030.”