Opinion: ‘There are no road charging plans...’

You cannot have failed to see the lies about the introduction of a congestion or, low emission zone (LEZ) charge being imposed on the people of Peterborough to drive into the city centre. I write, for the last time, I hope, that Labour has never discussed imposing a congestion charge in Peterborough. It isn’t happening. And it won’t ever happen in Peterborough.

Think about it. We have a road network designed in the new town era that all of us want to protect and improve. But instead of talking about potholes, the Conservatives are obsessed with road charging. Yet less than a year ago, the Tories crashed the economy. Our MP was obsessed with bringing back a now discredited former PM who later resigned as an MP causing a byelection to embarrass the current leader.

Just a few weeks after the Tories scraped home in Boris’ byelection, they even suggested scrapping 20 mph zones around schools – because it infringes driver’s rights. Tell that to a parent whose child is knocked down outside school, as mine was a few years ago.

The Tories have forced up charges for motorists, increasing parking charges by 10% last year, fuelling higher petrol prices and, in their own words, planning for road charging across towns and cities. The people of Peterborough want to talk about the factual issues and challenges facing the city. Instead, we get culture wars and smears.

This means that, all the Tories have left are smears and telling lies about other parties. Please don’t believe them. This is an out of touch government, out of ideas, determined to drag our country into further mess for electoral purposes. So, here’s the fact about road charging in Peterborough: There is no plan. There never has been. It won’t work in Peterborough; we don’t need it and Labour won’t support it. Can we be clearer? Some more facts:

- The first Ultra Low Emission Zone was introduced in London by Boris Johnson in 2015.

- In October 2022, Rishi Sunak’s government published a transport plan that showed ‘charging as the measure to bring down air pollution in towns and cities in the shortest possible time’.

- In November last year, Peterborough council Tory cabinet members agreed: ‘A low emissions zone could help accelerate the transition to electric vehicles.’

No-one has the power to force road charging on us. And with Labour, Peterborough First (all ex-Conservatives, now you know why), and other parties 100% opposed to any form of road charging, it won’t happen here. The highways maintenance budget to fix potholes has been cut by a quarter in recent years so we must fight for funding to improve our roads for all users. We must invest in better cycling provision. We must improve the bus services.

Labour wants better roads for everyone, not pushing up costs for already hard-pressed families and motorists as we have seen under the Tories.

Paul, Wayne, thank you for name checking me in your columns. Let’s get back to sensible policies you have for improving the lives of ordinary Peterborough people, those that pay our wages. Take the moral high ground and now stop lying about Labour’s plans. Please.