Opponents hit out at Khan over pledge to scrap higher Congestion Charge
Sadiq Khan has pledged to attempt to scrap the “temporary” £15 congestion charge if he is reelected as Mayor of London in May, prompting a wave of criticism from his opponents.
The Labour Mayor raised the charge from £11.50 last June in order to secure a government bailout for Transport for London (TfL) amid the plunge in passenger numbers due to the pandemic.
But speaking at a hustings event today, Khan said: “I will be negotiating with the Government so we don’t have to have it [the increased congestion charge] seven days a week or up until 10pm.”
His comments, which the Telegraph reported, attracted the ire of his fellow mayoral candidates, with Conservative Shaun Bailey attacking the pledge.
“Sadiq Khan is making things complicated. But the truth is very simple,” he said in a statement issued to Morning Wire.
“The Mayor decided to raise the Congestion Charge and the Mayor can choose to reverse it – today. The fact that he isn’t tells us everything we need to know.
“Khan is trying to win votes by promising to cut the very taxes he raised. That’s like an arsonist trying to get out of jail by promising to put out the fire he started.
Bailey went on to reiterate a pledge he made last June, saying: “As Mayor, I’ll reverse the Congestion Charge hike on day one, no consultation, no studies, no ifs, not buts. This is the fresh start that London needs.”
Bailey and Khan clashed multiple times last year over the hike to the charge, with each accusing the other of lying over the issue.
The Liberal Democrat and Green Party candidates both also waded in, saying that cutting the levy would go against Khan’s “green credentials”.
Luisa Porritt, the Liberal Democrat candidate, told Morning Wire: “Once again, this is a backwards-looking Mayor with no forward-thinking plan for London’s recovery. How can we take Khan’s self-professed green credentials seriously when he’s plotting a dangerous and unfair car-led recovery?
“The only long-term, sustainable solution for Transport for London’s finances and London’s air quality is a fairer, pay-as-you-go road charging system. It will mean ditching unfair flat rate charges, which mean a delivery driver making 20 trips is charged the same as a resident making one, and will do far more to tackle our climate emergency.”
And Green Party candidate Sian Berry told the Evening Standard: “These comments show that the current mayor simply isn’t serious about cutting traffic in London.”
In January Khan said that the higher level would likely have to remain in place for the first six months of the current financial year.
He said the income raised from the hike – which was £113m in the period from June to March – would be used to pay for concessionary travel for young people and over 60s.
But whoever wins the election will be immediately faced with negotiating a new funding package for TfL with the government, with the current deal due to expire in May.
TfL’s proposals for a new long-term deal, which were also released in January, show that the body is expecting the hike to remain intact, however.
“As a planning assumption, this increase has been assumed to be retained, although this will be subject to considering appropriate proposals, a detailed impact assessment, consultation and Mayoral decision”, a submission provided to the government shows.