Several of the contributions to this thread are, if I was being cynical, bear some of the marks of astroturfing. More charitably, I believe that they are characterised by misinformation and half-truths. To be absolutely clear I do not hold any brief from Hounslow Borough Council nor do I always support their policies and actions. I’m just an ordinary bloke who happens to believe that it is always best to at least make an effort to establish the facts and, hopefully, through that to get nearer to the truth.The GLA not a member of ICLIE nor is it an associate member. Associate membership of ICLIE is not available to local government or to local government associations. Therefore Hounslow is not, by default, an associate member.I assume that the title “Workers Car Parking Tax” refers to what has in fact been entitled the Workplace Parking Levy (WPL). I understand that a consultation on the principle of WPL has been completed and that the results will in due course be considered by Hounslow councillors.The idea is not to tax “a couple of thousand residents”. The WPL is conceived as a levy on employers and not on employees although it has to be conceded that employers will consider passing some or all of the levy to their employees. There are already about 24,000 employees in the Great West Corridor with a target to increase this by about 14,000 before 2031.Three levels have been postulated for the levy, based upon the scheme that already exists in Nottingham: £500, £750 and £1,000 per parking space. It’s worth comparing the cost of any levy with the annual costs of travelling by public transport, albeit that public transport is not a viable option for everyone.One of the most important principles that underpins the levy is that income can be applied to improvements in public transport, cycling, and walking. This means, of course, that cash-strapped Hounslow would generate revenue through the scheme which would be used for specific purposes. The extent to which you support such a scheme will depend upon the set of beliefs that you happen to hold with regard to global warming and the impact of burning fossil fuels.I agree that Brentford and many other areas suffer from their proximity to major road networks but the alleviation of this suffering will depend to a large extent on the extent to which we succeed in reducing the need to travel by motorised transport. Heathrow as it is now is a crazy aberration which will almost certainly be much worse with a third runway.It has been estimated that about 40,000 people in the UK die, or have their lives cut short, each year from the effects of air pollution. This estimate does in itself need to be critically examined in great detail but it is unlikely that we would conclude that there is not a significant problem. It is probably true that air pollution levels were worse in the 1950s but if we are to frame our policies in relation to how things were then then we may as well all give up on seeking to achieve any social and environmental progress.
Jim Storrar ● 2380d