Westminster council was accused of a “grubby car tax grab” as MPs condemned its planned parking surcharge for diesels.
With Birmingham and other cities copying the borough by slapping charges on diesel cars, a cross-party group of MPs said it was wrong to hammer owners who bought in good faith.
“The right approach is not to have [a] grubby car tax grab by local authorities seeking to punish motorists,” said Charlie Elphicke, the Dover Tory MP who chairs the parliamentary group for Fair Fuel.
John Spellar, the Labour former Transport Minister, claimed: “Westminster have been ripping off motorists for parking for decades. This looks like another money grab. The 10 million diesel drivers deserve a better deal.”
Diesel cars are being targeted because they emit tiny particulates plus nitrogen dioxide, which cause thousands of premature deaths.
Westminster may charge diesel drivers 50 per cent more to park their cars in the most polluted areas, leaving them paying £7.35 an hour instead of £4.90.
But the Government still taxes diesel company cars more lightly because they emit less carbon, blamed for global warming. This helps meet Kyoto green targets. Baroness Cavendish of Little Venice, the former head of the Downing Street policy unit, told the BBC that the danger posed by diesel pollution was only now becoming fully understood.
Nottingham, Derby, Leeds and Southampton are thought to be considering measures to discourage diesels. The AA has said if Westminster makes money, schemes will spread “like wildfire”.
Sadiq Khan is set to introduce a toxicity fee or T-charge for the most polluting cars.
A Westminster council spokesman said: “We are trialling a diesel surcharge in the hope that it will deter drivers of the most polluting vehicles from entering Marylebone, a pollution hotspot.”
