Proposal to charge drivers entering Glasgow branded 'simply unacceptable' by Labour leader

Proposals to introduce new charges for drivers entering Glasgow have been branded “simply unacceptable” by the city’s Labour leader.

Glasgow City Council is currently investigating the possibility of rolling out a congestion charge and a Clyde Tunnel toll as part of efforts to reduce car use and increase revenue.

But the council’s Labour group is opposed to the plans, which it says could see residents from Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, East Renfrewshire, East Dunbartonshire and beyond forced to pay to visit Glasgow for work, family or social reasons.

Cllr Rashid Hussain, the Labour group leader, said: “We call on the SNP and Greens to stop wasting officer time and energy on a policy that’s unfair, unworkable and divisive.

“An extra charge just to visit loved ones, get to work or attend key services such as the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital is simply unacceptable.”

A spokesperson for Glasgow’s SNP group said Labour is “all over the place on transport” and has U-turned on a congestion charge in the city. The SNP intends to make Glasgow residents exempt from the proposed charges, they added.

Councillors on the city’s economy, housing, transport and regeneration city policy committee will be asked to note plans to explore potential charging options tomorrow.

A report to the committee adds plans to charge for workplace parking in Glasgow are being shelved. The council had been exploring the possibility of introducing a workplace parking levy, which could have raised over £8m per year.

But officials reported there is “limited commercial and public appetite” for the scheme. They will direct resources towards investigating “alternative potential initiatives” to reduce car use, cut congestion and increase revenue.

These include an “at-city-boundary congestion charge” and possible tolling of the Clyde Tunnel, which the council is responsible for.

Cllr Hussain said: “It’s true what they say – People Make Glasgow. And that’s not just our current residents. It’s our families, friends and visitors from across Scotland who come here to enjoy our culture, parks and attractions, use health facilities and spend money in local businesses.

“These proposals do nothing except hit workers, services and growth.”

He added: “Everyone knows Glasgow’s public transport is not yet reliable, frequent or affordable enough to provide a genuine alternative. If the SNP and Greens were serious about tackling congestion, they would be fixing buses and trains – not hitting drivers with another tax.

“The SNP Government has been handed the largest budget settlement in history, with billions more to spend. Where is Glasgow’s fair share?”

The spokesperson for Glasgow SNP group said: “Labour are all over the place on transport. Their MPs and MSPs are publicly arguing with each other over the merits of a Clyde Tunnel toll, while at the the city council Labour now appears to have U-turned on congestion charging, a policy it was pushing for just a few years ago.

“It’s right that Glasgow, as many councils across the UK are doing, fully investigates options to tackle congestion and raise revenues to improve our roads and public transport.

“But any charging initiative, from which we would seek to exempt Glasgow residents, remains at an exploratory stage and is several years away.”