Car park quarrel

The subject said to be the greatest cause of angst has produced a new row at Cardiff University, which has been accused of introducing a "discriminatory" system of car-parking that favours professors and senior staff, writes Tony Tysome.

Parking charges have increased from £110 to £150 a year without proper consultation, the Cardiff Association of University Teachers said.

Staff had been told they must pay either a percentage of their salaries or the fixed price, whichever was lower - a system that benefits the higher paid, according to the AUT.

New professors and other senior staff have also jumped the queue for parking permits.

Cardiff AUT executive chair Chris Yewlett, a transport planner in the department of city and regional planning, condemned the parking regime as a "missed opportunity" to introduce an environmentally friendly travel-to-work plan.

A university spokesman said unions, local authorities and local transport operators were consulted on the travel plan. Increased parking charges were needed to invest in more sophisticated parking and travel schemes.