Concern as Labour Ministers plan new taxes on North East Cambridgeshire by “back door”

New laws to impose regional government and slip in congestion taxes

New laws before Parliament will allow the imposition of congestion taxes, road pricing and workplace parking taxes on North East Cambridgeshire, Malcolm Moss MP, warned this week. The small print of new legislation gives sweeping powers to new unelected bodies to control transport policy – including the power to levy new taxes. Unelected regional government will also be strengthened, giving them sweeping powers over housing and planning.

Unelected economic and transport quangos: The Government’s so-called Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill gives Labour Ministers the power to create new ‘combined authorities’, made up or two or more local authority areas. This will mean that Cambridgeshire County Council and Fenland District Council will between them lose control of power over economic development, regeneration and transport policy. The new bodies will not be directly elected, and the rules on their appointments will be drawn up by the Government.

Quangos can impose new taxes via the back door: The small print – the obscure Schedule 6 of the Bill – allows the unelected combined authorities to impose ‘local charging schemes’, in the form of congestion taxes, road pricing and workplace parking taxes. Labour politicians could use these new unelected quangos to slip in the new taxes, and override public opposition.

More powers to unelected housing and planning quangos: The Bill also gives housing and planning powers to the unelected appointees of the East of England Development Agency. Through binding new regional plans, buildings and development can be imposed on local communities, and environmental protection like the Green Belt can be ripped up. Labour Ministers will also have power to revise the regional plans as they see fit.

Malcolm Moss MP said:

“Gordon Brown’s new laws are the antithesis of local democracy. Yet more unelected quangos are taking power away from local people. It is clear that Labour politicians intend to use these new ‘combined authorities’ as a Trojan Horse to force through congestion taxes, road pricing and workplace parking taxes on North East Cambridgeshire by the back door, and sideline both Cambridgeshire County Council and Fenland District Council.

“Rather than giving even more powers to unelected regional quangos, the Government should hand power back to local communities, starting off by abolishing the regional planning bodies.”