Controversial proposals for a Greater London congestion charge are still on the table as part of TfL’s plans to achieve financial sustainability.

Suggested by Mayor Sadiq Khan during negotiations with the Government over a bailout earlier this year, the London boundary charge would see drivers with vehicles registered outside London charged £3.50 every time they enter outer boroughs such as Bromley and Bexley, rising to £5.50 for more polluting vehicles.

The charge is again being proposed as a way of raising the £500 million of additional yearly revenue TfL requires, after Transport Secretary Grant Shapps shot down Sadiq Khan’s request to have control over Vehicle Excise Duty raised in London.

According to a new document, TfL requires an additional £1.7 billion of emergency Government funding to keep London’s transport network running until 2023.

News Shopper: A boundary charge could raise £500 million a year (PA)A boundary charge could raise £500 million a year (PA)

The network's finances were decimated by the pandemic, which made billion pound Government bailouts in November 2020 and June 2021 vital to keep services running.

An extra £1 billion to £1.5 billion a year from the Government would supposedly allow TfL to move forward with projects such as the modernisation of signalling on the Piccadilly Line and the electrification of London buses, supporting up to 3,000 green jobs across the UK.

TfL commissioner Andy Byford has told the BBC that London “stands ready and willing to work with the Government” to ensure a strong economic recovery from the pandemic.

Sadiq Khan called on Government to allow TfL to keep the £500million raised annually from vehicle excise duty charged to London-based drivers in early 2021.

Despite being collected from drivers in London, ministers largely spend the money on other parts of the country, he argued.

A £3.50 daily fee would raise an estimated £500 million a year, with an estimated 1.3 million vehicle trips made from outside London into the capital every weekday.

In addition to raising vital funds, Mr Khan believes charging drivers to enter London could have significant benefits in terms of managing congestion, cutting emissions and encouraging people to use sustainable modes of transport.

Government ministers expressed opposition to the possibility of a boundary charge in March, with Transport Minister Rachel Maclean claiming it would be a border tax "levied on people outside London by a Mayor they were not able to vote for, or indeed vote out."

Dartford MP Gareth Johnson launched a petition opposing the proposals earlier this year, gaining more than 20,000 signatures.

Branding the plans "catastrophic", he said the charge could mean Dartford residents travelling to neighbouring Crayford to shop or drop someone off at the station would have an additional fee to pay.

Have you got a story for us? You can contact us here.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news.

Sign up to our newsletters to get updates sent straight to your inbox.