A divisive proposal to introduce a congestion charge in Oxford has been branded as “imposing tolls” and criticised for putting “thousands of livelihoods at risk”, according to our Local Democracy Reporter Esme Kenney.
Oxfordshire County Council, which oversees transport policy, is considering a temporary £5 daily charge for motorists who drive through several key city roads without a permit.
The scheme would apply every day from 7.00am to 7.00pm on Hythe Bridge Street, St Cross Road, Thames Street and St Clement’s Street, and during peak hours on Marston Ferry Road and Hollow Way, Monday to Saturday.
The council argues the charge will cut congestion and improve bus journey times ahead of a wider traffic filter trial due to begin once Botley Road reopens. While the plans have the backing of bus companies and travel groups, they have triggered fierce political opposition, particularly from Labour representatives.
Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds and Oxford City Council leader Susan Brown have voiced their opposition, alongside the city council’s Labour group, which has tabled a motion ahead of Monday’s full council meeting (July 14).
Councillor James Taylor, elected in May as Oxford’s youngest councillor, proposed the motion with support from councillor Asima Qayyum.
“The Labour Group, our Labour MP Anneliese Dodds, and the wider Labour Party in Oxford have already registered our opposition to both the way this congestion charge is being imposed on the city of Oxford, its residents and businesses by the County Council, and the charge itself,” he said.
“We believe that the congestion charge proposal, which is akin to imposing tolls on five of Oxford’s main roads, allows people who can afford to do so the ability to buy access to our streets, while those who are struggling financially are not able to do so. It’s a clearly inequitable scheme. Our city needs to clearly reject a policy that is being imposed on it by councillors who represent communities far from it.”
Taylor argued that the county should work with Oxford’s leadership before announcing major traffic measures, and suggested alternative approaches including tackling private school traffic, improving bus services alongside LTNs, and reopening the Cowley Branch Line for better rail access to the city.
The congestion charge was also heavily debated at Tuesday’s county council meeting (July 8). A total of 17 written questions were submitted to cabinet member for transport Andrew Gant.
Bernadette Evans, spokesperson for the Oxford Business Action Group, accused the county council of “experimenting” with small businesses and “risking thousands of livelihoods.”
The Labour group on the county council had already withdrawn support for traffic filters in January, arguing the trial had “timed out” during the extended closure of Botley Road.
Not all Labour councillors oppose the scheme. Councillor Jemima Hunt, who represents St Clement’s, backed the plans:
“As the Labour City Councillor behind the successful implementation of St Clement’s LTN in 2022, I welcome the council’s plans to tackle Oxford’s decades-long congestion problem with a congestion charge.
“The May local elections delivered a council with a clear mandate to tackle the problem of congestion in our city. The recent Labour-backed Citizens Assembly urged us to ‘implement a congestion charge’ and ‘make the city centre car-free’. Cities across the world are moving away from car use. Oxford needs to do the same.”
The Labour group emphasised that Hunt’s position does not reflect the party’s overall stance.
Other councillors seized on Labour’s divisions. Lib Dem group leader Chris Smowton said bus operators urgently need measures to ease traffic, accusing Labour of “running scared” of pro-car independents.
Andrew Gant, Lib Dem councillor for Cutteslowe and Sunnymead and cabinet member for transport management, described Labour’s position as “muddled”:
“I am genuinely baffled and disappointed by Labour’s muddled position on this. The congestion scheme was developed as a direct result of the call for immediate action from Labour city council leader, Susan Brown, along with others, in early February. The citizens assembly, set up by Labour, specifically asked for a congestion charge.
“Labour urged us to implement all of its recommendations in full. Labour councillors created and voted for the traffic filters scheme, much of which is carried forward into the proposed temporary charging scheme. The county Labour group asked for cheaper bus fares for young people. The congestion scheme actually delivers that.”
Independent councillor Saj Malik accused Labour of a political U-turn: “They had three years on the county council cabinet to put a stop to all this but they chose not to.”
Public opinion is also divided. A petition against the scheme has gained more than 11,000 signatures. The county council’s six-week consultation is open until August 3, with more than 3,750 responses received in its first 10 days.
The county council cabinet is expected to make its final decision on the scheme in September.
