Six-week 'grace period' for congestion charge

Oxford's new £5 daily charge is due to begin on 29 October

Drivers caught for the first time going through one Oxford's congestion charging points without a permit will receive a letter rather than a fine.

Oxfordshire County Council has announced a six week "grace period" for the start of the temporary congestion charge scheme - which is due to begin on 29 October.

It's believed that there has been delays in processing permit applications, as well as concerns that information leaflets about the scheme won't be delivered on time.

It is currently taking around ten working days for the council to process permits ahead of ANPR cameras being turned on at six locations across Oxford next week.

As of the start of this week, 33,000 people had so far been issued permits.

These allow motorists to go through a congestion charging point without paying when the scheme begins next week.

Councillor Andrew Gant, the council's transport chief, said: "As a soft launch, the council has decided to operate a 'grace period' whereby a letter will be sent to remind car drivers that, on their first time driving through a temporary congestion charge point without paying or using a permit, the charge is now in operation and they can apply for permits."

Earlier on Tuesday, it was revealed that the authority had spent £73,000 on the online permit system that is being used for the charge.

Conservative councillor Liam Walker, leader of the Oxfordshire Alliance opposition group, said the cost was "staggering".

He said so many residents found the system "confusing and unreliable".

The council said it had a budget of £76,500 for communications about the programme

Concerns had also been raised that people did not know that the congestion charge is coming is into force.

The council said it had so far spent £52,627 of a £76,500 total budget for communications about the programme - including installing posters and adverts on the back of buses.

It added that leaflets had been sent to 181,000 households in the most central part of Oxford and homes within a 15 mile (24km) radius.

But the Royal Mail deliveries only began on 13 October and are taking two weeks to complete - meaning some people won't be able to respond in time to apply for a permit when the programme starts.

There are also fears that delays to the postal service in Oxford mean some leaflets may arrive after the launch of the temporary congestion charge.

"We're working hard to get the message out to as many people as possible through the communications channels available to us," Mr Gant explained.