PLANS to consider a congestion charge and other ways of fighting traffic build-up have been shelved by council leaders in the East Midlands.
Council and cabinet leaders from Nottingham, Leicester and Derby and the surrounding county councils agreed not to try and get more funding to research the possibility of congestion charging.
The six leaders met in Nottingham to discuss a report produced on research carried out so far, and to decide whether to apply for more Government funding.
The group had commissioned the 6Cs Congestion Management Study Project Report to look into ways of fighting congestion in the region, including a Road User Charge (RUC).
But they decided not to apply for more cash from the Department for Transport's Transport Innovation Fund (TIF).
Leader of Nottingham City Council, Councillor Jon Collins, said the report had failed to convince them that congestion charging was the way forward.
He said they had instead decided to put a Workplace Parking Levy in place in Nottingham that would be "more simple, fair and better targeted at commuters".
He said: "I'm hoping that Leicester City Council and Derby City Council will be interested in exploring a combined approach to implementing a joint levy scheme.
"We'll do everything we can to support them and share our learning.
"I'm interested in providing businesses and residents with clear direction and the levy is the way forward."
Councillor Collins said congestion charging would cost drivers more than twice as much as a levy and would also cost more to implement.
He added: "The main cause of congestion is the commuters who are driving to work.
"A levy targets the commuters without charging pensioners, tourists, shoppers, unemployed and disabled people or families ferrying kids around."
Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, Councillor David Kirkham, said he supported the decision made by Nottingham City Council.
But councillor David Parsons, from Leicestershire County Council, said he thought it was a mistake to not allow a second phase of research to go ahead.
He said: "The report's broad conclusion was that it was really worth going on and modelling in greater depth so that leaders of the six authorities could come to a conclusion.
"The decision that was due to be taken was do we go on to the second part of a research project that would model certain suggestions.
"Over a million pounds has been spent on the first part of the research.
"The logical question is if Jon Collins had always wanted to go with his own scheme why did he bother with the first part of the research?"
