Labour council raises parking fees to drive out diesel cars from its roads

Labour-run Lambeth Council has vowed to make the borough “diesel-free” while bringing in new charges to drastically reduce the number of such vehicles there.

The council previously stated that its aim was to become diesel-free in the “very near future”, and as part of the drive has tripled diesel surcharge parking fees.

Under the changes introduced last month, diesel cars will be charged £140 for a year-long permit, up from £42 the year before.

This means the annual parking diesel surcharge would add a third onto the cost of parking for the year on more than half of the new parking permit fees being charged by Lambeth.

The move has been welcomed by campaigners, who hoped that Lambeth’s drive to phase out diesel cars could prompt other London boroughs to follow suit.

Calls to ban permits for new diesel cars

Mums for Lungs, a campaign group, has said that to accelerate this, councils should not issue parking permits for new diesel vehicles this year.

During its “End of Diesel Fumes” event last year, Danny Adilypour, the Lambeth cabinet member for clean air at the time, said: “In Lambeth, we’re committed to being a diesel-free borough in the very near future.

“We’re looking at how we charge cars for parking permits. Emissions play a big factor, and for a diesel car it costs more to park on our streets, so we really support the #CleanAirWins campaign and we’re doing everything we can in Lambeth to make sure we reach the campaign’s goals.”

Higher resident permit surcharges were brought in under this plan, alongside increased on-street parking levies for diesel vehicles, which can now cost up to a third more to park when compared to a non-diesel vehicle.

For example, a diesel car parking in Waterloo would be required to pay £9.45 per hour, compared to £6.30 for a non-diesel vehicle.

The charges came alongside new emissions-based parking charges implemented last month, which have increased some yearly parking permits by more than £160.

A permit for the most polluting cars in Lambeth would now cost £500, up from £340 last year. Even zero-emissions electric vehicles must pay £120, compared to £40 last year.

Other councils follow suit

The move by Lambeth mirrors huge increases by other Labour-led councils, such as Islington and Southwark, which both indicated that the move was to reduce car use. Boroughs such as Islington and City of Westminster have also brought in diesel surcharges.

On Thursday, Mums for Lungs will host a Clean Air Carnival, in which it will underline its plan for phasing out diesel cars across London.

The group, which was set up in 2017 by mothers in Lambeth, is calling for a ban on parking permits for new vehicles, while permits for existing vehicles and blue badge holders should still be allowed. It also wants a total ban on all vehicles by 2030.

According to the group’s analysis of car registration data, there are more than 12,000 diesel cars registered in Lambeth and 144,000 across inner London.

‘On the cusp of something historic’

Jemima Hartshorn, the founder of Mums for Lungs, said: “We are on the cusp of something historic with the end of diesel fumes. But we won’t get there without local leadership from councillors and candidates. Let’s make polluting cars a distant memory.”

Rezina Chowdhury, the deputy leader of Lambeth Council, said: “It’s really important that we clean up our air, so we have recently taken the decision to charge vehicles based on their emissions. Those polluting more having to pay more, and diesel cars facing an additional charge.”