Labour and Lib Dems' decision to cancel the plans was "for the wrong reasons"
Sarah Nicmanis, Cambridge Green Party Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, has criticised Labour and Lib Dem politicians, saying that they backed out of the plans for a congestion charge put forward in the Making Connections consultation for the wrong reasons. “The right reason would be because they had listened to the people during the consultation process, not because they think they would lose votes in the next election.”
The Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire Green Party (CSCGP) has now published its position paper (First Steps Towards a Plan B for transport in the Cambridge Area - A Greener Fairer Approach 18.10.23) confirming its views on the possible new directions of the Making Connections plans. The party holds that bus network and active travel network improvements must be delivered soon, and well. In order for this to happen in parallel with the wishes of the public, a large programme of communication and engagement needs to be quickly put into place to consult on new ideas of how the funds for the bus and active travel network are going to be put into place.
Sarah Nicmanis said “The most important thing now is that bus network improvements are delivered soon, and well. This will require a large programme of communication and engagement with the public. There must be no funding mechanism imposed until significant improvements to the bus network have been rolled out and shown to be a success.”
She noted that the idea of the Workplace Parking Levy, now one of the few remaining options being looked at, had long been put forward by the Cambridge Green Party. “In both the 2021 and 2022 consultations, we Greens suggested that a Workplace Parking Levy would help to ensure that large companies based here, which benefit enormously from Cambridge’s buoyant economy and international reputation, contribute fairly to the support and development of the transport system so urgently needed.
In addition to the Workplace Parking Levy, which the Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire Green Party understands would not bring in enough revenue alone, the party also encourages consultation on what the public thinks about a council tax precept that our local Green Councillors have spoken in favour of which would be a small addition to council tax, under £200 a year for a Band D property, which is a more fairly charged tax than the originally proposed congestion charge which was a regressive, ‘blanket’ tax. As an additional measure, a tourist/visitor tax which could either be collected via Cambridge Business Improvement District (Cambridge BID) at a £2 per night occupancy. This could effectively be named a ‘stressed-resource tax’ to recognise the use of water in our water-stressed region that is supplied via the chalk aquifer.
