Drivers of high polluting vehicles face higher costs under Newham parking permit changes
New parking permit charges come into operation in Newham in January. Picture: Arnaud Stephenson - Credit: photo: Arnaud Stephenson
The most polluting vehicles will cost more to park in Newham as the council introduces new permit charges for next year.
The changes, coming into operation from January 2021, are part of ongoing efforts to improve air quality in the borough by encouraging people to switch to less polluting vehicles.
Most parking permits will cost £60, but those for higher polluting vehicles or additional cars will be more expensive.
Cllr James Asser, cabinet member for environment, highways and sustainable transport, said: “Emissions from vehicles are a major contributor to the borough’s poor air quality and these parking changes are aimed at influencing the number, type and use of vehicles in Newham.
“We’re announcing these charges now so that people have time to prepare.”
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The new emissions-based charges will also apply to business permits and industrial permits, with new discounted permits available for Newham-based charities.
To help support the switch to hybrid and electric vehicles, there will be no charge for permits for these type of cars if they are the sole vehicle at an address.
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The council also plans to install new electric vehicle charging points across the borough from next month to make it easier for drivers to access public charging points.
Cllr Asser added: “Newham has the poorest air quality in the country and some of the highest rates of child hospital admissions linked to asthma. The Covid-19 pandemic has also highlighted how clinically vulnerable people with lung conditions, such as severe asthma, are to the virus.
“But the coronavirus lockdown also provided us with evidence of the impact of fewer cars on our roads – cleaner air. A 40 per cent reduction in road traffic during lockdown resulted in a 50 per cent reduction in noxious nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution in our busiest roads.”
“Every car journey creates pollution which impacts on us all. We know vehicles emit more pollution during the first few miles of a journey and a third of car trips are for distances that could easily be completed by less polluting options such as walking or cycling.”
A new online system will be introduced at the same time as the new emissions charges, meaning permit holders will no longer be issued with paper permits from January
For more information and to check how much your permit will cost, visit newham.gov.uk/emissionsbasedcharging
