Congestion charge consultation under fire
At the start of February, results of a borough-wide survey published by the Council revealed just 2.5 per cent of respondents supported the Mayor of London's detailed proposal to extend congestion charging into the borough. The Council called on Mr Livingstone to abandon the public consultation, arguing again that more time was needed to assess the full economic impact of the existing zone.
Instead Mr Livingstone pushed ahead. On 16 February, just one year after the introduction of congestion charging in central London, he launched a 10-week public consultation. His proposal this time – to extend the zone into parts of Kensington and Chelsea, dividing the borough in two.
Since then, the chorus of voices opposing his plans has grown louder and louder.
See also Extending congestion charging: your feedback
During the consultation period, the Council's focus was to encourage local people to make clear their views of Mr Livingstone's congestion charge plans by completing Transport for London's (TfL) questionnaire.
At the same time, the Council continued to demand that Mr Livingstone abandon his plans. It cited a botched consultation, with many residents never receiving the consultation material from TfL.
More recently the Council put TfL's experts under the microscope with a barrage of questions at a Congestion Charge Debate at the Town Hall. The all-party rejection of TfL's proposal to split communities demonstrated again the opposition across the borough to the Mayor of London's plans.
On top of the Council's official response, grassroots opposition has continued to gather pace. The initial outcry, which saw more than 700 people crowd into Kensington Town Hall in February, has been sustained. Packed houses at public meetings throughout west London have followed. At the start of April more than 1,200 people marched down Earl's Court Road, bringing traffic to a standstill to make their point.
A surprised Ken Livingstone was also presented with a petition containing over
25,000 signatures opposing his plans, at his City Hall headquarters at the end of April.
In addition, the Council discovered in March that more than 12,000 London businesses have appealed for business rate reductions on the grounds of congestion charging. Casting yet more doubt on the business logic behind the extension, it has since been followed by reports that the extension could cost taxpayers £5 million a year.
Latest reports reveal that Oxford Street traders may have lost as much as £300 million, outweighing the wider economic benefits of the scheme, said by TfL to be £278 million.
As public awareness of the Mayor of London's proposals grows, other bodies are raising their concerns. Westminster Council has issued a rival questionnaire and branded TfL's consultation 'a farce'. From the Small Business Federation to the John Lewis Partnership, the London Chamber of Commerce to the London Retail Consortium, the voices are as one: the extension is not wanted.
Meanwhile Kensington and Chelsea continues to champion.
If you have further comments about the Congestion Charge Scheme and plans to
extend it, please email congestioncharging.comments@rbkc.gov.uk
Your feedback is invaluable to us.
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