City Hall has denied media reports that Boris Johnson is set to announce he’s scrapping plans to axe the western extension of the congestion charge.
Rumours of such a move have been circulating in recent days, culminating in a report in today’s Evening Standard quoting Mayoral Transport Advisor Kulveer Ranger as saying “We always wanted to remove it at the earliest possible opportunity but it was aspirational and these are difficult times.”
Responding to enquiries a City Hall press officer denied the Standard’s story and denied Ranger had made the statements quoted in the Standard. The Evening Standard say they are sticking by their story.
City Hall have issued the following statement in Ranger’s name: “Boris Johnson has promised to abolish the Western Extension of the Congestion Charge and he will do so next year. Giving Londoners a say on this was a central part of his manifesto, and removing the extension is in accordance with their wishes as expressed in a detailed consultation last spring.
“The details for the date of the removal are being finalised, but there is absolutely no suggestion of this policy being dropped.”
