Dolly Parton book scheme 'fines' for forgetful council staff

A council's plans to ask forgetful members of staff to donate to a children's book scheme set up by Dolly Parton have been criticised by a union.

Nottingham City Council said up to 200 workers a week were asking for temporary or replacement ID badges.

Workers without their pass will now be asked, on a voluntary basis, to give £1 to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library which donates books to children.

The GMB union said staff would feel they were under pressure to pay up.

The council said its plan was "one way of getting staff to think about the consequences of persistently forgetting their pass".

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"We noticed receptionists regularly have to issue council officers with temporary security passes, and this was causing bottlenecks at busy times of the day," said Angela Probert, strategic director for organisational transformation.

She said the reception area at the Loxley House headquarters had become much busier since the Department for Work and Pensions moved in recently and front-desk staff were "very busy".

Unions have been consulted, she added, and it was "made clear the donation was voluntary and would not be enforced".

But GMB spokesman, Chris Needham, said: "It may be for a good cause but the point is that people's hard-earned money is better in their pockets and charity starts at home.

"It's quite clear it's a way of enforcing yet further hardship on my members.

"They are expected to pay a pound for the privilege of going into work. Not acceptable."

The Dolly Parton Imagination Library sends free books to children from birth until their fifth birthday, and it has been running in Nottingham for several years.

The singer had a go at using the East Midlands phrase "ay up me duck" when extending the scheme in Nottingham earlier this year.