Temporary congestion charge receives backlash from MP and residents
An MP has called a county council's plans for a congestion charge in a city "a knee-jerk solution imposed from outside".This how Labour's Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds described Oxfordshire County Council's consideration of a £5 temporary congestion charge for drivers to access the city centre on six routes.A petition opposing the scheme has also been launched and has gained more than 4,000 signatures since its launch on Tuesday.Andrew Gant, cabinet member for transport management, said should the council would be "particularly keen" to hear from residents if it decided to continue to consultation.
The county council said action was needed because of delays to a planned trial of traffic filters, which cannot be introduced until Botley Road is reopened after overrunning works at Oxford Station and the railway bridge complete, which Network Rail announced for August next year.The county council's cabinet will discuss the proposals on 17 June.If approved, a six-week public consultation would begin on 23 June and the congestion charge scheme could be in place by the autumn.In a statement, Ms Dodds said the scheme "certainly wasn't talked about during the local elections".She added that residents "want local transport solutions to be driven by local people as part of a plan that we can all take part in"."They don't want knee jerk solutions imposed from outside by Oxfordshire County Council."Lib Dem Layla Moran, MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, welcomed the proposals "which would give local residents the opportunity to have their say".
Businesses across the city are calling for the county council to rethink the plans.Jeremy Mogford, chair of Oxford Business Action Group who owns a number of hotels and restaurants in the city said the plans were "ridiculous".The petition was set up by independent councillor Saj Malik, who represents Cowley, and Richard Parnham of campaign group Reconnecting Oxford.It calls the congestion charge "completely unfair" and would badly affect residents and businesses who are "already struggling" because of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) in East Oxford and Cowley and the closure of Botley Road.Mr Malik said "This drives a coach and horses through what Oxford's businesses expected would happen in the next few months."They were expecting more than a year to prepare for traffic filters."Now they'll have to try to prepare for a congestion charge within a few weeks.Mr Gant said: "The temporary charge locations would be exactly the same as the trial traffic filter locations which were designed to address overall through traffic.""Should we decide to continue to consultation, we would be particularly keen to understand the impact the scheme may have on residents and businesses."The benefits of this proposed scheme would be felt across the city: better bus services, safer walking and cycling, easier journeys for permit holders including carers, blue badge holders and traders, and cleaner air.
You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
41 minutes ago
- BBC News
Hartlepool sack manager Limbrick after four months
Hartlepool have sacked manager Anthony Limbrick after four months in The New Saints boss Limbrick took over from Lennie Lawrence in February and guided Pools to an 11th-placed finish in the National this week it was reported Pools had seen an approach for Boston boss Graham Coughlan turned are up for sale after current owner Raj Singh resigned as chairman in March."We'd like to thank Anthony for all his hard work and efforts during his time with the club and wish him all the very best for the future," Pools said in a statement., external"All board members were consulted and it was decided a change was needed."
BBC News
42 minutes ago
- BBC News
Rossington Hall in Doncaster sold after major restoration
A country house hotel and wedding venue has been sold to new owners, more than a decade after being rescued from dereliction by a property Hall, near Doncaster, had been a residential school for children with behavioural difficulties before Gary Gee bought it in renovated the stately home, which was built in the 1880s, and attracted celebrity guests including Sir Ian McKellen, David Baddiel and Sheridan has now sold the business to hotel group The Crown Bawtry Collection, whose managing director Craig Dowie said he would keep the venue's "extraordinary charm". Mr Dowie said: "It was a massive milestone for Mr Gee to sell and we know it has been overwhelming for him."We seized the opportunity as this kind of sale doesn't come up often and it felt like a really good fit for us."This is the next adventure for us and it is a wonderful hotel with beautiful grounds that are home to peacocks, so we will keep its extraordinary charm and potential as it is and continue lending it out for events and weddings."The Crown Bawtry Collection also owns the nearby Crown Hotel, in Bawtry, and Bawtry Hall. State of disrepair Mr Dowie added that he and chairman Jason Cooper were drawn to Rossington Hall's traditional features as they "contrasted well with the Crown Hotel's contemporary style".The company said it wanted to support local suppliers and tourism in the area with the purchase, as well as "support Doncaster Airport and all the exciting developments at Gateway East".The hall was occupied by the Royal Veterinary Corps during World War Two and was also a training college for Catholic missionaries. Its stable block is part of a horseracing college. Mr Gee wrote on social media that he had returned the hall to its "former Victorian glory and created a business that would look after the hall in perpetuity".He said: "My time at the hall has been rewarding and memorable and I have had the opportunity of working with a magnificent team of staff and meeting wonderful guests over the years."Mr Gee also recently applied to Doncaster Council for consent to change the use of the estate's Victorian entrance lodge into a restoration work had already been completed before the application was submitted and a café called The Lodge opened in the building in 2022. The scheme was approved after council conservation officers determined it was an appropriate way of protecting the site's to documents submitted to the council, the restoration work had been finished by 2018 but it was felt that the building was unsuitable for residential use because of its proximity to a main road. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
FTSE 100 closes at record high as Trump's tariffs shake faith in US
Britain's main stock market index closed at an all-time high on Thursday as investors seeking refuge from America's market slump turned towards the UK. The FTSE 100 index of London's largest companies ended 0.2pc higher on Thursday at 8,834.92 points amid a backlash against Donald Trump's economic policies, which investors fear will hinder American companies' profits. The flagship British index, which had performed poorly in recent years compared with the US, is up by 8.7pc since the start of the year, beating America's S&P 500's which has risen by 2.7pc. Neil Wilson, of Saxo Bank said: 'We have clearly seen a rotation in global equity markets as investors have for the first time in years questioned the 'Tinata' – there is no alternative to America.' He said clients were talking about 'reducing exposure to the US'. The FTSE 100's record high came as the value of the dollar plunged to a three-year low after President Trump sparked fresh fears about global trade. The US currency sank on Thursday to its lowest level since March 2022 against a group of major peers, leaving it down by nearly 10pc so far this year. Investors have turned away from the dollar after the US president said he would send out letters to countries outlining the terms of trade deals. That sent the pound to a three-year high above $1.36 and pushed the euro to close at $1.16, its highest level since 2021, as the president's comments renewed concerns that US tariffs could hit global growth. 'I love China' In a further sign of his mixed signals on trade, President Trump sought to calm nerves by talking up the prospects of a US-China trade agreement, following two days of talks between Washington and Beijing officials in London this week. He wrote on his Truth Social platform: 'THE CHINA DEAL IS GREAT!' He later told reporters: 'I love China. We just made a deal, and I respect President Xi a lot, and we made a deal that's good for both countries. The deal we made with China good for both countries. Going to be a lot of money made, and it's going to ultimately open up China, which is the ultimate thing.' Charu Chanana, of Saxo Bank, said: 'Markets may have no choice but to respond to Trump's tariff threat – even if it's just posturing to bring others to the table.' The dollar was also hit by a flurry of data, which suggested the global economy was beginning to show signs of strain. Britain's goods exports to the US plunged at a record pace after President Trump launched his tariff onslaught in April, official figures showed. UK exports to the United States fell by £2bn compared with the previous month, according to the Office for National Statistics, which was the largest drop since official records began in 1997. The value of goods exports to the United States during the month – totalling £4.1bn – fell to its lowest level since February 2022. The US president hit Britain with 10pc tariffs under plans announced on April 2, a date which Mr Trump had long touted as his so-called 'liberation day'. Businesses dramatically changed their investment plans in response, bringing forward orders in an effort to get ahead of higher import taxes before they were announced. Official figures showed UK manufacturing output fell by 0.9pc in April, a further drop from 0.8pc in March but a sharp reversal from a 2.4pc surge in February. This was despite the high-profile announcement by Sir Keir Starmer of a trade agreement with the US last month, which is yet to be finalised. Robert Wood, an economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said: 'Exports should begin to stabilise in May now that the front-running has unwound and after President Trump began walking back some of his more ruinous tariffs. 'That said, the UK-US trade deal 'agreed' in May is yet to fully come into force so there could be further export weakness still ahead.' In a further sign of strain in the US, wholesale inflation ticked higher last month. The producer price index – which measures inflation before goods hit consumers – rose by 2.6pc in May, according to the Labor Department. This was up from 2.4pc in April but in line with expectations. Separate data showed US filings for jobless benefits were unchanged last week.
