War on motorists continues: Now Oxford council want to impose £5 congestion charge on every car entering the city
Oxford could become the first city in more than two decades to impose a congestion charge - in the council's latest move in the 'war on motorists'.
Under the proposed 'temporary' scheme, motorists would be slapped with a £5 fee every time they travel into the city centre.
Locals have warned that the plans would cripple businesses in Oxford, which have already been hit by a controversial low traffic neighbourhood scheme in the city.
If enforced, Oxford would be just the third city in the UK to introduce a congestion charge - after London and Durham in the early 2000s.
The plans were proposed by Oxfordshire County Council on Monday and could be introduced as early as this autumn.
The scheme would be enforced using automatic number plate recognition - with charging cameras placed on six major roads that lead into the city centre.
Oxford residents with a permit would be exempt from the £5 charge but anyone travelling into the city for work, tourism or shopping would have to pay.
Florence Pugh's father, Clinton Pugh, who has previously spoken out against traffic measures in Oxford, has warned the latest scheme would increase the divide between rich and the poor.
The former restaurateur and campaigner told The Telegraph: 'It will be like Singapore, where the rich and wealthy can afford to drive through the city and everyone who is poor will have to struggle through by other means.
'They want to make it a cycle-only city and it's going to badly affect businesses.'
'You have got no one in the council who has any business experience and understands the impact of doing this,' he added.
The 66-year-old, who ran several businesses on Cowley road, previously said that LTNs, first introduced in the city in 2021, had left him facing losses of up to £1million.
Mr Pugh claimed eco-measures were the 'final nail in the coffin' for his restaurants and left him with no choice but to sell up.
He sold Café Coco, where Florence used to work as a teenager, last year - and last month announced he had also sold his last remaining business in Oxford - Kazbar.
Mr Pugh told the Oxford Mail at the time: 'I sold the Kazbar on the day Donald Trump announced his tariffs, and I was so relieved to get out of it.
'It would be bad enough just to have what's happened with the Bank of England and the pressures of inflation.
'[Then] you throw in the restrictions on the Cowley Road. The LTNs were the main nail in the coffin.'
Oxford, which has a historic centre made up of a number of narrow medieval streets, has previously been named one of the most congested cities in the UK.
The local authority has said the congestion charge would ease traffic and help improve bus services in the area.
It is the latest in a number of controversial measures that have been proposed in Oxford - including bus gates, LTNs and parking restrictions.
Cllr Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council's cabinet member for transport management, said: 'We urgently need to see improvements to travel around the city; better bus services and less traffic overall, to help people get around.
'We must take action for our residents, businesses and visitors while Botley Road remains closed and I look forward to discussing the options with cabinet colleagues.'
The plans for the congestion charge are due to be discussed by Oxfordshire County Council's cabinet on 17 June. A public consultation will then start on June 23.
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