In a desperate grab for cash, the west German city’s council reckons the measure could raise €100,000 a year from a test-run currently being planned in the Porz area, the Express newspaper said.

Officials say they have done their homework – and say other public sector employees have to pay such fees for parking at their places of work. Imposing similar car park charges on teachers would be fair for everyone, they say.

“Teachers will not be happy about this,” a spokeswoman from the Cologne city council told the Welt newspaper.

Although by way of recompense, authorities are mulling over reduced public transport fees which the spokeswoman believed would be gladly received by state employees.

If the initiative is approved, the charges could be levied at school car parks from next year.

Before the charges can be enforced though, the city would have to spend considerable money fitting out school car-parks with the necessary technology.

Earlier in the year, a similar system was floated in the nearby North Rhine-Westphalian city of Duisburg, but it was quickly dropped after furious protest by angry teachers.

The Local/jcw