Parking fees are the latest costs targeted for London's cleaner air campaign

Lambeth council is the latest local authority in the UK's capital city to start charging for parking based on emissions. The measures, introduced to curb pollution, make drivers of higher polluting vehicles pay more to park. A load of London borough councils, including Lewisham, Merton, Newham and Croydon already have ‘emissions-based parking charges’.

Zero emissions vehicles, falling into Band A of the pricing structure, pay £120.21 per year for a parking permit in the Lambeth area. Drivers of cars with over 100g\km CO2 pay more than £200. This increases to as much as £500 per year (to park!) if your vehicle has over 255g/km (Band M).

The bands identified are the same which determine how much road tax (VED) you pay. What’s more, the picture gets worse for drivers of old-school diesel vehicles.

There’s a diesel surcharge of £140 applied to engines that don’t meet Euro 6 standards. Bear in mind, too, these costs are in addition to cars paying congestion charge zone fees (every car that drives into the zone, unless exempt) and ever-expanding ultra-low emissions zone (ULEZ) fees (required daily if the engine doesn’t comply with Euro standards).

Lambeth council cites a 2021 review by Imperial College showing air pollution kills over 4,000 people in London every year and 2018 calculations from Oxford uni showing a cost of around £605 million to the National Health Service caused by pollution from motor vehicles as a means of justifying the measures.

The nature of London’s terraced streets, however, mean parking is already a huge challenge for drivers in the city, so residents and business owners will no doubt be feeling especially squeezed.