Cambridge: Congestion charge plans appear to fall apart

The revised plans were due to be debated for the first time yesterday (Thursday, September 7), but did not go ahead after political support for the proposed ‘Sustainable Travel Zone’ dropped. 

Representatives of the Liberal Democrat group at South Cambridgeshire District Council said they “did not feel able to discuss matters” after their party said it did not support the current plans. 

The Labour group at Cambridge City Council also announced on Wednesday that it did not think the current proposals should proceed. 

However, some argued that the scrutiny and debate should go ahead. 

The revised proposals for the potential Cambridge congestion charge were put forward by the GCP to try and address concerns that had been raised. 

The original proposals put forward by the GCP included a weekday £5 charge between 7am and 7pm.  

This was changed to only applying in peak time hours in the morning and afternoon.  

Under the new plans, people who create an account to pay the charge would also receive 50 free days, and motorbikes were proposed to be exempt from the charge. 

Small businesses in Cambridge are proposed to get a 50 per cent discount for delivery lorries and vans, and a 50 per cent discount is proposed for people on low incomes.  

Exemptions are also planned for most people who need to go to the hospital by car and for anyone in receipt of carers benefits and mobility PIP. 

At the joint assembly meeting this morning, members of the public on both sides of the debate accused the GCP of “failing” the city. 

Sara Lightowlers, from Cambs Parents for Sustainable Travel, said: “Politicians have failed everyone in the region.  

“There has been so much focus on the cost to drivers you have failed to account for the cost of inaction on everyone else, because failure will impact by reduced life chances, to employment, and poorer health.” 

However, on the other side of the debate, William Bannell described the proposals as ‘unpopular and unworkable’ and said the GCP had ‘totally failed Cambridge and represented an enormous waste of money and time’. 

The members of the joint assembly were expected to debate the revised proposals, but due to the recent reports of parties saying they could not support the plans the chair of the meeting, Cllr Tim Bick, asked members whether they felt they could continue to discuss the plans. 

Cllr Heather Williams (Conservative) and Cllr Neil Shailer (Labour), both said they were happy to discuss the proposals. 

Cllr Williams said she thought it was “fundamentally wrong” for the papers to go to the GCP board without any scrutiny, highlighting that a decision on the plans had not yet been made. 

However, the Liberal Democrat representatives from South Cambridgeshire District Council said they “do not feel able to discuss matters today” as they said the situation had changed. 

Cllr Paul Bearpark (Liberal Democrat) read a statement from the district council’s leader Cllr Bridget Smith, in which she said there were still concerns around the proposals, and that further work was “urgently required” to get public support. 

Cllr Simon Smith (Labour) from Cambridge City Council accused the Conservatives of breaking the consensus needed and accused the South Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats of making a party-political decision and putting that ahead of the needs of the future transport system. 

He said: “Let’s get a sense of perspective, this is much bigger than us politicians, this is for the next generation.” 

Cllr Tim Bick (Liberal Democrat), also from the city council, said he was “disappointed” in his South Cambridgeshire party colleagues. 

He said his group in the city were “keen not to lose momentum” on reducing congestion and improving public transport. 

Cllr Bick called a vote proposing to not scrutinise and debate the revised proposals, due to it not having political consensus, which a majority of members voted to support. 

The assembly suggested the GCP looked into what the “threat and opportunity of starting again” would be, and that the board should ask for commitment once again from the partners councils and organisations to the overall goals of reducing congestion and improving public transport. 

Cllr Williams said she wanted the GCP to also look at what could be done without a congestion charge. 

She also asked for “more open-mindedness and more respect” in the debate moving forward. She said the”hostility” on both sides of the debate over the last year had been “awful” and had “stifled” debate. 

A decision on what happens next is now due to be made by the GCP board at a meeting on September 28.