Labour councils penalise diesel drivers up to £250 extra for parking

Labour councils are penalising diesel car drivers with up to £250 extra in fees to park near their home, it has emerged.

Residential on-street parking permits are more expensive for diesel vehicles in 18 of London’s 32 boroughs, all but four of which are Labour-run.

The additional fees, levied to discourage diesel cars as part of efforts to tackle widespread air pollution, are charged by only a handful of local authorities elsewhere in the UK.

Town hall chiefs have been accused of engaging in a “cash grab” from motorists, but environmental campaigners say they are vital.

Many drivers wanting to park a vehicle on the street near their home are required to buy a permit from the local authority.

An analysis of the cost of these for various types of vehicles, diesel or otherwise, was carried out by the PA news agency.

The highest additional annual fee for parking a diesel vehicle near a home is the £250 charged by east London’s Hackney Council.

The surcharge is halved for council estate residents, while some modern diesel cars are exempt.

Among other London councils with other high additional permit fees for diesel vehicles are Islington (up to £220), Merton (£150) and Camden (up to £115), all run by Labour councillors.

The only two Tory-run councils in the capital to enforce such fees on diesel parking are Kensington and Chelsea, at £82, and Harrow, at £21.

Outside the capital, Lib Dem-run Bath and North East Somerset Council imposes diesel surcharges of up to £80.

Green-run Brighton and Hove City Council excludes diesel cars from its cheapest permits, which means some cost up to £62.05 more.

The City of Edinburgh Council, a minority Labour administration, is the only other authority outside London to levy such fees, at £50.

Serious health issues

Encouraging drivers to switch from diesel is part of efforts to boost air quality, as the vehicles tend to emit higher levels of nitrogen oxide (NOx) than their petrol equivalents and are a significant contributor to the problem, with can cause serious health issues.

At the end of September last year, diesels still made up 34 per cent of all cars licensed for use in the UK, with 11.4 million.

Luke Bosdet, the AA motoring policy spokesman, said: “Diesel surcharges imposed by councils discriminate against residents who have to park their cars on the street outside their homes, while their neighbours with driveways and off-street parking can have whatever vehicle they want.

“Ramped-up parking permit costs are simply a council cash-grab.”

But Leo Murray, co-director of climate charity Possible, said: “Real-world emissions tests show that toxic NOx emissions from diesel cars in London are on average six times higher than those of petrol cars.

“We need to start seeing more local authorities using parking policy to discourage dirty private cars.”

A Hackney Council spokesman said it introduced its diesel surcharge in 2015 because “London’s toxic air is causing a public health crisis”.

Darren Rodwell, from the Local Government Association, said “it is a matter for each council”.