RESOLVED:

That reference of the Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel set out in paragraphs 2.14 to 2.17 of the Cabinet report be taken into account when below when making decisions on the Diesel Levy and Emission Based Charging proposals.

The Chair advised that items 4 and 5 would be discussed together.

The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Health and the Environment thanked the Sustainable Communities Scrutiny Panel for a useful discussion on the issues.  He also thanked the officers involved and the Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Housing and Transport for their work on the review and comprehensive paper.  He advised that due to the increase in CPZs in the Borough since the implementation of the diesel levy, it was difficult to see the impact of the levy although there had been some evidence that those who had traded in their diesel permits had done so as a result of the implementation of the levy.

The report also proposed a comprehensive structure for an emissions based approach to charging, incorporating the Government’s vehicle excise duty bandings to create the base rate and the Mayor of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) model to replace the current diesel levy; due to them tackling different pollutants, CO and NOx emissions respectively.  Adopting the ULEZ would also address the concerns of residents over the disparity between the diesel levy and the ULEZ.  The PTAL structure would be retained as it was complimentary and addressed the policy objective of shifting behaviour towards more sustainable travel.  It was proposed to carry out a formal public consultation on the proposed approach.

The Chair advised that the rest of the Cabinet had been consulted in advance and had been impressed with the thorough report and were in support of the recommendations.  He thanked the Scrutiny Panel Members and officers for their work, and welcomed the reduction in diesel cars in the borough as a result of the levy.

RESOLVED:

That reference of the Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel set out in paragraphs 2.14 to 2.17 of the Cabinet report be taken into account when below when making decisions on the Diesel Levy and Emission Based Charging proposals.