by Owners of electric vehicles in central London will be charged extra for parking under new rules being introduced by a Labor council.
Westminster city council has unveiled plans to overhaul its current parking charges to “encourage the use of low-polluting vehicles”.
However, the new charges could increase the cost of parking an electric vehicle for a four-hour period by as much as 1,800 per cent in some areas.
The move has been slammed by Conservative politicians, saying it is “bad for business, residents and the environment”.
The plans will also mean that locals with electric vehicles will be charged a resident permit for the first time.
Vehicles with larger batteries are expected to pay more due to having a higher carbon footprint during their construction, taking up more space and causing more wear and tear on the road.
Westminster city council was led by Labor for the first time in its 60-year history after this year’s local elections.
Under current parking rules, owners of EVs or plug-in hybrids only need to pay for the first 10 minutes to get the maximum length of stay in the bay, usually four hours.
This means an EV owner can pay as little as 96p for a four-hour stay in the borough’s most expensive parking zone.
The new proposals, due to come in in April, will scrap this rule and parking in the same area will increase to £18.18.
The rise could be steeper for those owners who may have to park all day, such as tradesmen, with an eight hour wait set to cost £36.96 under the new proposals. This is a 1,800 per cent increase on the £1.93 motorists currently pay.
‘Hike is not good for business, climate change or residents’
Ed Pitt Ford, a local Conservative councillor, criticized the move. He said: “The council is proposing a massive tax hike on electric vehicle drivers while raising parking charges for EVs by up to 1,800 per cent.
“Tradesmen and small businesses who have done the right thing by switching to EVs and now see charges rise by up to £35 a day will be hit hard. It’s not good for business, it’s not good for climate change and it’s not good for residents.”
Westminster MP Nickie Aiken said: “At a time when the Labor Party nationally is calling for more support for businesses to grow the economy, it is incredible that a Labour-run Westminster council is calling for fees parking to increase by a whopping 1,800 percent. for small businesses that do the right thing with a greener vehicle.”
Justifying its decision in the document, the council said the current charging structure was unsustainable due to the rapid growth of EVs and that an emissions-based approach would future-proof the service.
The council also said they are running a tradesmen’s license scheme, which starts at £20.90 a day for businesses.
Other changes will see the council introducing new residence permit parking charges for drivers of EVs and hybrids from April 2025.
Under these new charges, owners will be charged for the size of their EV batteries, with vehicles with 69kWh batteries charged £40 a year and 70kWh vehicles £80 a year.
Higher fees aimed at larger EV batteries
In a document outlining the decision, the council said the higher fee was to cover larger EV SUVs and sports cars, which have a significant carbon footprint from battery production and recycling.
The council also explained that larger batteries meant larger and heavier vehicles, which took up more space and put more wear and tear on the road.
As a result of the parking changes, the Council will revamp its parking charges by moving from costing based on engine size to charges based on emissions. This will mean an annual parking permit for the most polluting vehicles, they will have to pay £321, an extra £200 for some vehicles.
Councilor Paul Dimoldenberg said: “Westminster city council has invested heavily in electric vehicle infrastructure to encourage people to switch to electric and low-emission vehicles.
“Westminster has more than 2,500 electric vehicle chargers across the city, including fast chargers, which is more than any other local authority in the UK. And 50 per cent of our waste collection fleet is now made up of zero electric vehicles.
“Until now, the fees paid for parking EVs in Westminster have been very low, and to keep up with the growing demand for EVs, the council is moving to an emissions-based charging system. The new scheme will support the growth of electric vehicles in the city and keep charges fair, proportionate and as low as possible.
“Westminster residents with an EV will pay less than £1.50 to park their car outside their home, while visitors with EVs who pay to park will still pay significantly less than neighboring London boroughs.”
