Starting from Monday, motorists in England will need to adjust to new parking regulations, with electric vehicle (EV) owners facing a steep increase in permit charges.
Dover District Council, led by Labour, has made the contentious move to more than double the cost of parking permits for EVs while reducing fees for petrol and diesel vehicles. This follows the council’s decision to introduce a uniform charge for on-street parking permits from 13 January.
Under the new scheme, all permits will be set at a flat rate of £105, covering most zones. However, this means that come 13 January, EV drivers, including those with models like the Tesla Model Y or Nissan Leaf, will see their annual permit costs soar by 162%, jumping from £40 to £105.
Conversely, owners of petrol and diesel cars will benefit from a decrease in their permit costs, dropping from £120 to £105, reports Birmingham Live.
An official report from the council claimed the trial aimed to ‘incentivise the use of low emission vehicles as part of the Climate Change Agenda’. Yet, with only 20 permits issued for fully-electric cars and 14 for hybrids, the council acknowledged: “It therefore appears that the differential charging has not had a significant impact on decision-making for vehicle purchases.”
The council document reveals: “Following the trial period for emissions-based permits it is now considered that differential charging for resident permit holders alone is insufficient to influence the public’s decision-making on vehicle purchasing.”
Green Party Councillor Nick Shread of Dover Town Council labelled the initiative “rather strange” and slammed it for its “lack of foresight.” His colleague, Councillor Mike Eddy of Deal and Walmer Town Councils, also weighed in, saying: “It’s a bizarre decision and one which will make absolute peanuts for the council.”
He added, “If you’re trying to encourage people to use cars which pollute the least, then increasing the charges is silly.”