Cardiff congestion charge triggers councillor row

Council cabinet has "no proposals for a congestion charge", said councillor Caro Wild

Labour councillors have refused to rule out introducing a congestion charge in Cardiff ahead of May's local elections.

Conservative councillors asked council leaders to scrap any plans to bring in the scheme.

Labour councillors denied they had any proposal for a charge, but said action was needed to cut carbon emission, air pollution and tackle climate change.

The Conservative motion was criticised as electioneering ahead of upcoming elections.

A council transport white paper, published in 2020, said a £2 congestion charge could be introduced in 2024.

Transport consultants are currently working with the council to explore different charging options but no formal proposal have been put forward, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Conservative councillor Joel Williams, who put forward the motion to a full council meeting, said: "Cardiff residents are entitled to know where political parties stand on the issue of a congestion charge in Cardiff.

"A congestion charge would punish hard-working residents and would be catastrophic for our businesses."

Councillor Joel Williams: "A congestion charge would punish hard-working residents"

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Labour councillor Caro Wild, cabinet member for transport, said it had "no proposals for a congestion charge".

"But in 2020 the council's transport white paper committed to look at a number of avenues to fund £1-2 billion of transport improvements, a real vision for the city - a city-wide metro, £1 bus fares, all sorts of stuff but this, of course, would have to be funded," he said.

"If a charging scheme was deemed suitable, we would prefer a smaller fee and an exemption for Cardiff residents.

"The council hasn't seen evidence of positive or negative economic impact following any introduction of a congestion charge."

Liberal Democrat councillor Emma Sandrey slammed the motion as "desperate, embarrassing and stupid".

The council transport white paper considered charging non-residents in a bid to hit green targets and cut congestion.

The multi-million South Wales Metro project has also been launched to overhaul the transport system.