Councillors could claim congestion charge expenses

There could soon be a £5 congestion charge for some drivers in Oxford

An expenses loophole could enable councillors to claim back the £5 daily congestion charge proposed to be introduced in Oxford this autumn.

A plan for the daily charge for cars, which is being proposed on six city centre roads, has been recommended for approval by Oxfordshire County Council at a meeting on 10 September.

There is currently no mention of the congestion charge in the council's travel expenses policy.

The authority says it will consider if councillors and staff should be able to reimburse the costs, once a decision about the wider scheme is made.

Cllr Liam Walker, leader of the Oxfordshire Alliance Group, said he would support councillors and officers being able to expense the cost.

He described the policy as "a ridiculous money-making scheme being imposed on us by the Lib Dem's".

But the council's leader, Liz Leffman, promised "no Liberal Democrat member will claim for the congestion charge on allowances".

She went on to urge other parties to make the same commitment.

Her opinion was echoed by Labour group leader, Cllr Liz Brighouse, who said councillors should avoid claiming the charge back, adding that "the tax payer shouldn't pay for a policy imposed by the county council".

The Green Party said it hoped councillors and officers would "set a positive example" and take public transport instead.

Cllr Andrew Gant, the council's transport chief, said: "The expenses scheme for councillors makes no mention of the congestion charge as it was not proposed when the scheme was designed."

"However, the Leader has made clear that no LibDem councillor will attempt to claim the charge if it is incurred, and we will look at whether and how this needs to be formalised for all councillors."

He added that travel claims for officers commuting to work were not permitted, so meaning they would not be able to claim the £5 congestion charge.

Oxfordshire County Council is currently based at County Hall in Oxford, in an area which could only be accessed by traveling past a proposed charging camera.

Under the authority's current expenses guidelines, councillors are treated the same way as officers, so any decision about whether councillors can claim back the charge would also impact staff.