EV drivers face £105 charge to keep cars on road from next week
New parking rules will launch in England from Monday with drivers warned. Electric car owners have been warned they will see parking permit charges more than double while fees for high-emission vehicles are set to decrease, following a controversial decision by Dover District Council.
Labour-run Dover District Council made the controversial decision to hike EV permits, while at the same time slashing the cost of petrol car parking permits. It follows Dover District Council's vote to implement a flat rate charge for on-street permits from 13 January.
The flat rate permit cost will be £105 and will cover most zones. An owner of an EV such as a Tesla Model Y or a Nissan Leaf will pay 162 per cent more come 13 January, with their annual permit cost rising from £40 to £105.
READ MORE: Thousands of drivers wake up to £200 fine on doorstep due to 'video evidence'
READ MORE: M6 motorway drivers face being charged £514 due to 27-mile rule
READ MORE Foreign Office warns UK tourists face 'arrest and detention without warrant'
Petrol and diesel car owners on the other hand will see their permit costs fall from £120 to £105. An official report from the council says it hoped the trial would 'incentivise the use of low emission vehicles as part of the Climate Change Agenda'.
But because just 20 permits for fully-electric cars and 14 for hybrid cars have been issued, the council added: "It therefore appears that the differential charging has not had a significant impact on decision-making for vehicle purchases."
The council paper states: "Following the trial period for emissions-based permits it is now considered that differential charging for resident permit holders alone is insufficient to influence the public's decision-making on vehicle purchasing."
Fellow Green Party member Councillor Nick Shread of Dover Town Council called the move "rather strange" and criticised its "lack of foresight." Another Councillor Mike Eddy, a Green Party member for Deal and Walmer Town Councils, commented: "It's a bizarre decision and one which will make absolute peanuts for the council.
"If you're trying to encourage people to use cars which pollute the least, then increasing the charges is silly."