Mirza Takes Aim at Asser’s Price Hikes

Newham’s newest councillor has set out his stall.

In an open letter to Deputy Mayor, Cllr James Asser, Cllr Mirza takes aim at the way in which arguments around road safety and air quality are used as the basis for income generation buy the council.

He begins with a criticism of Asser’s use of the term “customer” when addressing residents. This could have been a minor slip of the pen (ok, keyboard), but it might just have indicated the transactional nature of the relationship Asser and Newham Labour have with their voters. Newham “customers” do not have the option of seeking a different ‘parking provider’ (what a bizarre term!) when they want to park on the street near their home. They do have a choice when it comes to elections and these “customers” could choose to put their cross beside a different party. There are any number of parties who would be only too willing to take up the votes of disaffected Newham “customers”. 

Newham is not alone in seeing the motorist as an easy mark for unrestricted income. But, as Mirza notes, Newham has one of the poorest populations in the capital. Effectively, using car-owners as a new tax-base will put pressure on those who are law-abiding and increase the cynicism of those who are not. (Readers will recall that Newham recently wrote off £7m in fines that it is never going to collect.)

At the heart of this are two possible reasons. The first, and oft stated reason is the desire to improve air-quality and road safety. These are laudable objectives. Reduced speed does save the lives of children and reduces the severity of injuries. (E.g. a reduction of 1mph results in a 6% reduction in urban traffic fatalities);  Asthma and respiratory illnesses are reduced by cleaner burning fuels and zero-emission vehicles. (Though we are not quite so convinced by Mayor Khan’s suggestion that 4000 lives a year will be saved.)

The trouble is that fewer and fewer people actually believe that health and safety are the actual reasons, because, behind every new initiative there is a projected income stream.

We have seen how residents of other boroughs have responded to Mayor Khan’s attempt to expand the ULEZ, (five councils took Mayor Khan to court; the ULEZ is credited with saving the Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat for the Tories; residents complained about the increased costs). 

It may be that Labour has become so complacent about governing in London that there is no longer the need to inform and gather consent; it may be because they simply ‘know better’ than the public; it may be because they need the additional revenue. It may be a mixture of all three.

The same pattern is reflected in Newham, where Cllr Asser is the lead. Cllr Mirza could have, but did not allude to the fact that a single road (Browning Road in E12) generated £2.44m in unrestricted income in 2022. This is the equivalent of having almost 2000 new Band D council tax payers.

He has however, noted the introduction of residential parking charges for the first car. Readers will recall, in the bad old days when Wales was in office, the first car was free. The trouble for politicians is that when you put a new charge on something that had been free, people don’t like it.

Certainly that has been the response in terms of social media comment, particularly on the Nextdoor app.

Newham introduced a sliding scale of charges depending upon the capacity of the car and the fuel that it used. Mirza makes the point however, that this is not so defensible when “our cars are ULEZ compliant”! In effect, he says, Newham residents are paying the ULEZ twice.

He also notes that previously residents who did not contribute to the large number of cars on the roads, who did not add to pollution or congestion, were entitled to 30 free short-term residential permits per year for visitors. 

This small benefit to people who did not have cars was valued by residents and at very low-cost to the council. Taking it away seems to have generated significant anger for very little benefit.

Road and parking charges made up a significant part of Mirza’s campaign in the Boleyn byelection. This is a cause which could still undermine Labour support in key wards.

We reproduce Cllr Mirza’s open letter below.

11 August 2023 

Cllr James Asser Deputy Mayor of Newham and Councillor for Beckton ward Cabinet member for Parking (sustainable transport) and Environment 

On Friday, 21 July 2023, you sent an email to all drivers/motorists in Newham: I am writing to express my most profound disappointment in reading your email to residents in which you refer to our very respected residents as ‘’customers’’. For your information, these are our residents, not customers! 

On Newham council’s official post shared on the Nextdoor App, there are some serious negative comments from residents of Star Lane, Silvertown, Forest Gate, Green Street, East Ham, Beckton and Manor Park (in fact, across Newham). They are asking for your resignation... You are undoubtedly bringing Newham council, run by your Labour party, into disrepute. 

As I am newly elected as the Boleyn ward councillor, please tell me when these new changes to parking fees and charges were agreed upon and by whom. Were they the Labour councillors elected by Newham voters in Green Street, Forest Gate, East Ham, Plashet, Little Ilford, West Ham, Manor Park, Wall End, Boleyn, Little Ilford, Stratford, Beckton, Royal Docks, Canning Town, and Plaistow OR by Newham Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz and her Cabinet members? 

Electric bills are up. Gas bills are up. Food prices are up. Council Tax is four times higher and is rising every year. Prescription charges are up. The list goes on. But you still decide to put the cost of parking up too for our residents? 

In a borough with the highest child poverty, Newham Labour councillors are making Newham residents poorer, leading to suffering amongst our children. Residents will remember their Labour councillors when they come for their votes next. 

You refer to the Mayor’s Air Quality Action Plan in your email. Is it the plan of the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, or the Mayor of Newham Rokhsana Fiaz?

Let me remind you that if our cars in Newham are ULEZ compliant, we do not have to pay the ULEZ charge. Non-ULEZ-compliant cars have to pay a fee of £12.50 per day. So, how can you justify the First car Permit fee based on emission charges? 

Please also explain the tiering structure and staff business discount. 

You have also removed the 30 Free Visitor Permits, which were indeed a big help to the Newham residents. Is this how Newham is supporting its residents through the cost-of-living crisis? 

Questions residents would like to ask: 

If, according to you, Newham’s air is dirty/polluted, what are you doing to clean it by charging residents for the first, second and third car permit fees in the name of emission charges? 

Remember, our cars are ULEZ-compliant! Therefore, on behalf of my constituents, I demand that, with immediate effect, abolish the First Car Permit Fee. You are taking millions of pounds from Newham residents in the name of Emission Charges when you should know that our cars are already ULEZ compliant, and Newham residents should not be paying Emission Charges twice. 

I also demand you keep the 30 free visitor permits for Newham residents. Residents should be able to visit whom they like to see without letting you know what car their visitors will be driving. 

I understand you are a member of Labour’s National Executive Committee. In the next Labour NEC meeting, I strongly recommend you REMIND them that the Labour lost the elections on 19 July in the Uxbridge due to just one reason, “the ULEZ expansion”. I look forward to your speedy response. 

Cllr Mehmood Mirza 

Independent Councillor in Boleyn Ward London Borough of Newham