FURIOUS Sandwell Council workers in Oldbury have been told they will now have to pay £240 a year to park their car whilst at work.

Hundreds of staff at Sandwell Council's Freeth Street headquarters face the charges as part of a public consultation on borough wide car parking.

Public sector union, UNISON, has launched a petition for staff in Oldbury to sign.

Tony Barnsley, joint branch secretary for Sandwell UNISON said: “In the last five years our members have had their car allowances removed completely, mileage rates reduced, and have had an effective pay cut of 20 per cent.

"These proposed car parking charges are seen by our members as a further cut in pay that the council is choosing to impose regardless of how little they earn."

He added: "The fact that directors will pay the same as cleaners is seen as unfair by our members.”

Sandwell Council Leader Councillor Darren Cooper blamed Government cuts to the council's budget for the parking charges plan.

He said: "We're caught between a rock and a hard place in the challenge we face to protect frontline services in light of Government cuts.

“I appreciate public sector workers have not had a decent pay rise and I'd prefer we didn’t have to charge for parking at all. But in order to maintain and manage the car parks we own, we need to.

“It’s a difficult balance but we have to prioritise our budgets for frontline services and those services we have a statutory duty to provide, including social care.

He added: “We’ve always kept our parking charges as low as possible and continue to do so.

“Under our proposals, an annual season ticket of £240 will work out at less than £5 a week and, for the first time, could be used at any council car park in Sandwell."

He added: “We’re proposing fairer, more consistent charging across the borough and to freeze charges for two years.

“There will now be a period of statutory consultation and, as part of that, we will listen to everyone’s views, including those of our trade unions and employees, before the new charges are implemented.”