Calls to scrap Oxford congestion charge defeated
Motorists must now pay £5 for driving through several roads in the city at specific times.
Calls to immediately scrap Oxford’s congestion charge less than a week after the start date were voted down in a heated debate in the council chambers.
Motorists must now pay £5 for driving through several roads in the city at specific times without a permit after the scheme was introduced last Wednesday (October 29).
Conservative councillor Liam Walker put forward a motion asking the leader of the Lib-Dem run authority to immediately end the scheme, which was debated at Tuesday’s full council meeting.
In his opening speech, he said: “Residents, businesses, and key workers right across Oxfordshire are telling us loudly and clearly that the scheme simply isn’t working.
“From day one this has been a scheme that punishes rather than supports. It penalises people who have no realistic alternative but to drive.
“This scheme is unfair, unwanted and unworkable – it needs to go.”
A number of public speakers signed up to speak about the item earlier in the meeting, while protesters gathered outside in the morning calling for the scheme to stop.
Maggie Brown, who joined the protest, said: “I’ve lived in Oxford for 74 years, and to see them destroying our beautiful city, it just infuriates me.
“It’s the staff at the John Radcliffe, all the hospitals and the school – they can’t all afford £30 a week to come into work.
“It will be the death of Oxford.”
Lydia Jansson, aged 11, who is a pupil at The Cherwell School, gave a speech calling on the council to scrap the plans.
Others spoke in favour of the scheme.
Robin Tucker, co-chair of Coalition of Healthy Streets and Active Travel, said: “In six days the congestion charge has transformed blocked roads and restored the ability to move in our city.
“Don’t return us to gridlock – be pro-people not anti-bus.”
Andrew Gant, county council cabinet member for transport management, said: “There’s a fundamental lack of seriousness about this motion.
“If you think you want to stop this scheme, just be clear with your residents with what you are stopping – better buses, free park and ride, better access to the hospitals, better for traders … better facilities for carers and blue badge holders, cleaner air and fewer casualties.”
Fellow Lib Dem councillor Gareth Epps, who represents Deddington, said: “If we are going to vote to scrap a scheme we launched a full six days ago, when as far as we can tell it’s working as well as it can be, we would be an absolute laughing stock.”
The motion was defeated, with 36 councillors voting against (consisting mostly of Lb Dems and Greens) and 22 councillors voting in favour (consisting of Conservative, Independent and Labour councillors).
There were two abstentions from Lib Dem councillor Will Boucher-Giles, who represents Chesterton and Launton, and Green councillor Emma Markham, who represents Shrivenham.