Forum Brief: Congestion charging

The courts have given the green light to contested congestion charges.

Westminster City Council mounted a High Court challenge to Ken Livingstone's flagship plans to beat London's traffic gridlock. The council accused London's mayor of failing to carry out proper consultation before embarking on the £5-a-day charge for motorists.

Forum Response: Federation of Small Businesses

Richard Morse, chairman of the FSB's London Area Policy Unit, told ePolitix.com: "The courts may have ruled that Ken Livingstone can proceed with the congestion charge, but the people of London can still say that he should abandon his present proposals."His 'poll tax on wheels' will hit small businesses and the self-employed, people for whom the use of a vehicle is essential for their business, not an expensive luxury."The effect of the congestion charge will be to tax businesses by up to £1200 per vehicle each year. This is money which many businesses can ill afford."The plan will reduce commercial activity in central London, while the Mayor's own plan for London's future aims to expand business in the city."

Forum Response: Transport for London

Derek Turner, managing director of Street Management at TfL said: "The judgement today vindicated our careful preparation and advice to the mayor to ensure that congestion charging is within the law and can deliver the reduction in congestion that London so desperately needs."

Forum Response: British Retail Consortium

Bill Moyes, director general of the BRC, told ePolitix.com: "The BRC has been leading the retail campaign on London transport issues and is disappointed that plans for congestion charging will go ahead before alternative forms of transport - chiefly London Underground - can handle an increase in capacity.

"Whilst the BRC welcomes many aspects of the mayor's transport strategy and agrees that the problem of congestion must be tackled, concerns over implementation remain.

"With more than 370,000 retail employees in London and with wholesale and retail the second biggest contributor to the capital's economy, the BRC believes the congestion charging system for central London could jeopardise the viability of the retail sector.

"The technical, social and economic consequences of a congestion charge have not been properly thought through. Retail is an essential service and the lynchpin of the capital's economy. Implementation of congestion charging in its current form could have a disastrous impact for both retailers and their customers."