Labour to step up war on motorists and discourage car use by limiting bays on housing developments
CP
Motorists are bracing for a fresh squeeze under Labour plans branded a new war on motorists.
Under proposals published by the Government, councils would be required to impose sweeping limits on the number of parking spaces allowed in new housing developments, without having to justify the restrictions.
Critics say the move, backed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, will pile misery on drivers while councils cash in through fines and charges.
The policy is designed to discourage car use and push people towards public transport, walking and cycling. Campaigners warn it will instead fuel on street congestion, blocked pavements and dangerous parking.
Conservative Party Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel said:
“Labour’s war on motorists is dystopian. They plan to ban homeowners from parking their cars outside their homes. We are governed by hypocritical ideological zealots who get driven around in taxpayer funded cars but they don’t want you to have a car.”
Richard Holden MP, the shadow transport secretary, added:
“This is how the war on drivers works. Motorists aren’t the problem. Once again, they’re the revenue stream.”
Earlier he said Labour had “ripped up the rulebook that protected families from parking misery and replaced it with a green light for councils to squeeze drivers – [it means] blocked pavements, congested roads, and tickets through the post”.
Limits made mandatory
Under the plans, councils will no longer be merely encouraged to cap parking, they will be forced to set limits.
The proposals support a more permissive use of so called maximum parking standards, where councils restrict how many spaces developers can build.
They form part of Labour’s proposed overhaul of England’s National Planning Policy Framework, billed by ministers as the biggest rewrite of planning rules in a decade.
Labour says the changes will help it meet its pledge to build 1.5 million new homes by the end of this parliament, with a consultation running until next spring.
Reversal of past protections
The move marks a sharp reversal of previous policy.
In 2011 the coalition government scrapped council imposed parking limits, saying they unfairly penalised drivers and led to over zealous parking enforcement. Ministers also warned the rules had increased unsightly on street congestion and created risks for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.
Since 2015 councils have only been allowed to impose parking limits where they could show a clear and compelling justification.
Labour’s new framework would reverse that position and require councils to set limits without having to provide any such proof. The document says councils should allow flexibility through ranges where appropriate and consider specific business requirements.
Fears of fines and chaos
Campaigners say the changes will make life easier for town halls to raise cash from motorists.
Brian Gregory, of the Alliance of British Drivers, said:
“This is a continuation of Labour’s intensifying war on road users.
“They are quite happy to take billions a week from road user taxation, while the roads are falling apart and there already isn’t adequate parking in many towns and cities.
“This offers councils the ability to raise more money for parking charges and enforcement. It is just another way of extracting more money from road users by making it difficult to park.”
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA, warned tighter rules could have the opposite effect to that intended.
He said:
“Balancing parking provision within new developments is always difficult and often emotive. Not many prospective owners of these homes realise that parking is already restricted to encourage people to walk, cycle or take the bus.
“Creating tighter rules on the number of spaces could backfire, with more illegal and dangerous parking. In many cases, it takes years before the local council adopts the road from the developer and can begin to make changes to ease the pressure.
“However, the proposed changes asks councils to be flexible with their rules, which we hope allows for more spaces to be installed.”
Pattern of pressure on drivers
The parking clampdown is the latest flashpoint for angry motorists.
Earlier this year Labour dropped plans to curb the roll out of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and 20mph zones. Ministers also ditched reforms that would have restricted council powers to control traffic and levy what were described as unfair fines and parking charges.
Last month it emerged Labour had dropped plans for future investigations into the impact of LTNs on local areas, despite warnings there was little evidence about their economic and social effects.
As reported in the Telegraph, Labour run councils have already faced a series of embarrassing climbdowns.
In August Southwark council admitted it had illegally fined thousands of motorists for driving in bus lanes and agreed to refund almost £500,000 after discovering it had quoted the wrong law on tickets.
Haringey council later abandoned plans to replace a £5 daily parking permit with an hourly charge after more than 5,200 residents signed a petition opposing the move.
Despite the backlash, ministers insist drivers have nothing to fear. Motorists, however, remain unconvinced and many see the proposals as yet another hit on drivers under Labour’s green agenda.
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