WORKPLACE parking charges and urban tolls are not anti-car or anti-business, the Local Government Association has claimed. In a staunch defence of Government plans for the introduction of the two charges, LGA transport chiefs have urged the Government to take tough action to combat congestion in towns and cities.

And simultaneously it is pressing for all revenue from workplace and congestion charging to be ploughed back into public transport and road maintenance. In addition the LGA says there should be 'a substantial up front investment in public transport before charges are introduced'. The LGA says that over the next two to three years congestion and workplace charging schemes will be piloted by local authorities which have formed the Charging Development Partnership - Bristol, Leeds and Derbyshire.

The organisation also wants the Government to extend the Transport Bill to allow for the discretionary extension of parking charges to out-of-town leisure and retail services. Mark Dowd, chairman of the LGA's transport executive, said: 'The problems of increasing urban congestion will not go away unless radical action is taken. A significant increase in car ownership is predicted over the next 20 years - so not tackling this problem is not an option.'