'Phenomenal Response' To Ealing CPZ Proposals

Organiser Simon Hayes will present petition for debate at council next week

The organiser of a petition to scrap Ealing's proposed CPZ changes says there has been a ‘phenomenal response’.

The Council plans to increase resident parking permit charges in Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs) by up to 60 per cent from this autumn, as well as introduce shared use parking bays in the zones  which would enable commuters to drive in and park in the borough for as little as £4.50 a day. Owners of diesel vehicles will be given a £50 surcharge.

Petition organiser, Simon Hayes, said the response, which has seen some 2,000 residents object to the scheme, shows that the Council must rethink its plans.

He said: ‘There has been a phenomenal response to the petition. People just don’t think this scheme is fair or justifiable. There has been no publicity about it from the council, even though they formulated this plan well before May’s local elections. There has been no consultation on it whatsoever, yet the Council aims to implement it at the earliest opportunity. Other boroughs, such as Brent, consulted widely with residents before proposing similar schemes.

‘I have spoken to a lot of residents and they all say the same thing, that this is being imposed on them with no warning. People can’t just go out and buy new cars because the Council wants them to. Car owners – particularly those of diesel vehicles – are being targeted simply as a revenue stream. We are told it is being implemented to pressurise residents to stop using their cars or buy more environmentally friendly ones, and yet at the same time the Council seeks to encourage non-residents to drive into the borough and park in CPZs at a discounted daily rate. Something is seriously wrong here.’

In its draft transport plan the Council claims it will raise an extra £500,000 from the new sliding scale of charges. However, Mr Hayes is adamant that the Council are not entitled to use the scheme to raise extra funds.

He said, ‘Increasing the tax burden on residents who have no option but to pay for CPZ permits is not only unfair, there is specific case law which prohibits councils from using resident parking schemes to raise revenue, otherwise there would be nothing to stop them charging £1000 a vehicle. I have asked the Council to clarify the legal basis on which they justify this tax, but so far there has been no answer forthcoming.’

The petition will go for debate at a full Council meeting next Tuesday (July 24).

Mr Hayes says: ‘I hope the Council will see sense and withdraw its proposed transport plan because as it stands it is ridiculous. The Council is there to serve the people of Ealing – it should not forget that includes people who live in CPZs.’

July 17 2018