Merton Conservative strongly oppose the latest Labour Party plan to hammer motorists through sweeping rises in the vast majority of parking charges. This new proposal to raise fees goes far beyond the stated aim of meeting rising costs caused by inflation. Indeed, the consultation documents clearly state that if the new charges are implemented the £500k revenue gap caused by inflation would be met from the costs of changes to parking permits. The report then states that on street pay and display charges and off street car parking charge increases would contribute a further £545k with an additional £90k being raised from the Carbon Surcharge.
These proposals will vastly increase the costs to residents and businesses and will unfairly penalise the most vulnerable residents by introducing the Carers Permit charge of £30, which is currently provided for free. Additionally, businesses will be hit with higher charges as will the Police, an especially poor way of repaying the MET Officers after years of mismanagement from the Labour Mayor of London.
CPZ permits
The proposals to hike the costs of CPZ permits is the latest in a long line of attacks on motorists by the Labour Party. It is notable that the majority of CPZs do not fall within wards that return Labour councillors and the majority of wards that will be affected are in Wimbledon which has a long history of not voting for the Labour Party.
In the previous council term, the Labour administration more than doubled the costs of CPZ permits for many residents and met fierce resistance to their proposals to introduce emission-based parking charges. These residents in Wimbledon will continue to be used as a cash cow for the Labour administration if these proposals are implemented.
Additionally, the Mayor of London has recently expanded the ULEZ to Merton and all Greater London, forcing new taxes onto the lowest income families in London at a time of financial hardship for many. The latest proposed increase of £15 to the cost of CPZ permits must be seen in the context of many residents paying double the cost of permit a few years ago. May residents have been forced to pay the £150 Diesel Levy, and now the proposed £150 carbon surcharge will cause additional hardship for those who also have to pay the daily ULEZ fee which will cost some families over £4,500 additionally per year.
Increase in charges for electric vehicles
The consultation undermines the aim of the Labour administration to promote electric vehicles with the proposal to increase the EV CPZ charges from £20 to £50. The council also clearly shows their intention to increase costs for EV drivers by stating that EV owners will “need to shoulder a higher share of the full costs of managing and enforcing CPZs”. This makes the comment that “The London Borough of Merton is committed to responding to the Climate Emergency” ring particularly hollow.
Tax on carers
The charge of £30 for a carer permit or the “tax on carers” is a particularly bitter blow to residents who need help in their daily lives and who are often under financial pressure. There are 765 Carers Permits in use in Merton. Whilst this new charge will raise £22,950, the council will be raising over half a million pounds alone from the increases to on street pay and display and off street car parking spaces. Charging those who need the help of carers seem senseless and cruel during the cost-of-living crisis. This is simply not the action of a “listening council” or one that cares about the wellbeing of its residents.
Unforeseen consequences of previous price increases
The council also admits that its previous price hike for visitor permits has backfired and that “the imposition of both the diesel and additional vehicle surcharges appears excessive” and that this policy of excessive taxation has led to “significant growth in demand for scratch-cards and administrative costs have consequently increased.” This open admission that hammering residents financially backfired for the council should be a warning for the administration as it seeks to further penalise motorists which will have a knock-on effect on businesses and wider society in Merton.
Linking visitor charges to bus and tram fares
The proposal to link visitor charges to public transport prices means that visitors to Merton will be hit by rising cost due to the incompetence of the Labour Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. This could badly backfire as rising fees will push customers away from businesses in Merton and toward other boroughs if the mayor continues to raise charges to cover the financial blackhole caused by his mismanagement.
New charges for businesses
The proposals to increase the cost of business permits by £108 outside of Wimbledon Town Centre will cause a further disincentive for businesses in Merton which have already been hammed by the pandemic, the ULEZ expansion, and now face additional costs due to the Labour run council.
New charges for the Police
The increase in the cost of Police Permits is a poor way to repay the MET Police force after Mayor Khans attempt to close Wimbledon Police Station and rising crime levels across London under his tenure as Mayor.
Efficiency improvements
The council undermines its own case for these sweeping price increases when it admits that “significant service and efficiency improvements are being delivered. For example, a recent initiative to improve working methods and deploy additional Civil Enforcement Officers has led to the identification of 35% more parking contraventions than in previous years.” This has of course led to increased revenue for the council, so the Labour administration cannot simultaneously claim that it has lost revenue whilst telling us in the next breath that is has improved efficiencies which have led to a greater number of motorists being fined, which would lead to greater revenue.
Conclusion
This consultation is not a simple exercise in adjusting the costs of parking charges to account for increased inflation. Whole new levels of taxation will emerge from this consultation. The new range of charges have the potential to make life tougher for those on low incomes who will now be penalised by the Carbon Surcharge because they do not have the financial means to buy a new vehicle, and those who need help from Carers will now pay a new charge for their permits. The new charges will also set back the transition to electric vehicles which is an aim of this administration.
The proposed charges will raise hundreds of thousands of pounds more for the Labour administration whilst putting new costs onto businesses and residents across the borough. The people who will pay the increased charges will primarily not live in wards with Labour councillors and will not vote for the Labour party.
It is notable that the increase in charges is being proposed years before the next borough election, as was the pervious case with the raise in CPZ permit costs in the last council term. The administration should learn the lessons of its previous parking charge increases which had adverse effects not predicted by council officers at the time.
The level of revenue that the charges are predicted to raise exposes the inadequacy of the assertion that the rises are simply about making up for the shortfall in revenue caused by inflation. These proposals bring in new taxes on residents which will only be increased. The Conservative Group opposes these proposals and will not support their introduction.
