A proposal to delay Newham Council’s controversial new emissions-based permits parking system was withdrawn at an emergency council meeting on Tuesday this week.

Despite local protests, supported by up to 30 councillors, the council decided to keep the scheme, but weakened the impact of charges by backing a proposal from Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz to double the discount on offer to residents from 20 percent to 40 percent.

Protesting councillors had called for a delay in implementing the system which came into force on 6 January and introduces charges on vehicles based on levels of carbon emission, which contribute to air pollution.

They argued it would be a punitive action in the middle of the latest Covid lockdown and would hit the poorest in the area the hardest. They said the council should not be imposing “regressive and unfair taxes” on residents and that the scheme itself “will not resolve air quality issues in the Borough.”

But the council insists that the system will improve Newham’s poor air quality which contributes to the highest death rate in England. They say air pollution is to blame for 96 deaths a year in the Borough.

Supporters of the new system claim it will encourage residents ‘to switch towards less polluting vehicles and encourage more local trips to be made by sustainable modes of transport, like walking and cycling.’

In the roll out of the scheme, there are 13 different permit types available — Residents; Disabled; Visitor; Free parking allocation; Business; Industrial; Charity business; Healthy School Streets Access; Browning Road Bridge Access; Trade; Courtesy; Carer; and Care Home permits.

The council says that ‘the largest group of vehicles (almost 23,000) registered in the Borough will be liable for a modest residential permit charge of £60 per year’.

The council also insists that income from the permits scheme will be reinvested “ONLY into the roads and transport”. This will include “funding initiatives like Healthy School Streets, electric vehicle charging points, cycle hire, cycle lanes, road resurfacing, fixing potholes, air quality monitoring, road safety schemes, new pedestrian crossings, and traffic calming measures.”

This story, which was initially published in Newham Voices January print edition, was updated on 3 February 2021.

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