Congestion row over Heathrow

Mayor Livingstone had previously said that if a Heathrow congestion charge was to go ahead the money raised would go towards funding the multi-million pound Crossrail scheme which would link the Home Counties to The City and east London.

Richard Barnes, London assembly member for Hillingdon and Ealing, said: "At the Mayor's question time last week at the London Assembly, Ken Livingstone performed a U-turn and insisted that he would fund Crossrail through the issue of an £8 billion bond."

Mr Barnes said he asked Mr Livingstone if he intended to drop his congestion tax proposal for Heathrow if it was not going to fund Crossrail but the Mayor said there were many reasons to have a congestion tax at Heathrow and that it should still go ahead.

Mr Barnes said: "Any congestion tax around Heathrow is unjustified on the basis that it could do irreparable economic damage to west London.

"The Mayor previously justified a congestion tax on Heathrow to fund Crossrail, which is vital to west London's future growth and prosperity. However, now that he has decided to fund that with a bond issue, there is simply no reason for a congestion tax around Heathrow to be introduced."

He added: "However, Mr Livingstone has made it clear that he intends to press ahead with a congestion tax, yet has given no indication on what he intends to spend such a vast amount of money that he will raise from a congestion tax on. At least we knew Crossrail would benefit west London, the monies raised from any future Heathrow congestion tax will now probably leave west London to fund Ken's pet projects."

A spokesman for Ken Livingstone's office said: "At the moment, Heathrow is in the very early stages of a feasbility study to see if a congestion charge is the best way to go ahead.

"There are still no concrete plans for a Heathrow congestion charge, and we will be waiting for the results of the feasibility study."

May 29, 2003 12:00