Dear Sir,
On Wednesday 15 March Cllrs Daniel Holden and Abdul Latif called-in for review, by the Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel, the "Diesels in CPZs" levy. It was revealed that Labour expected to collect over £2 million from this new levy in the next 3 years. No wonder they are willing to break their 2014 manifesto promise to freeze parking permit charges and ignore the views of 94% of residents who responded to the recent consultation.
Recognising that we must improve air quality in Merton, I proposed (seconded by Cllr Michael Bull) that parking permit charges for all electric vehicles; whether cars, vans or lorries, should be reduced by 50%. I argued that this desirable "carrot" to motorists could be funded from the levy "stick".
The fact that this proposal was voted down by Labour Councillors shows that the "Diesels in CPZs" levy is really more to do with taxing certain motorists and plugging the council’s budget gap than improving air quality across our Borough.
Yours faithfully,
Cllr Stephen Crowe
Conservative Councillor for Raynes Park