HUNDREDS of Birmingham City Council staff are set to lose valuable free car parking passes as public spending cuts begin to bite.

Season tickets allowing council employees to leave their vehicles free of charge in expensive city centre car parks while they are at work are likely to be withdrawn before the end of the year.

The perk, which can cost up to £2,200 a year per pass, is one of a number of costly allowances in line to be axed as the council draws up plans to slash £330 million from its budget over the next four years.

New contracts of employment will be imposed on the authority’s entire 26,000-strong non-schools workforce, putting paid to routine overtime payments for working weekends, irregular hours and unpopular shifts.

In addition, disturbance payments allowing staff to claim additional travel costs if they are required to change their work location will go.