Mayor of London Ken Livingstone has received Porsche’s letter setting out the basis of their proposed legal challenge to the £25 a day congestion charge, according to a spokesman from his office.
According to a spokesperson for the Mayor the letter claims “that it is illegal for the Mayor to introduce this policy”. The Mayor’s office has dismissed the claim as “wrong” adding “The Greater London Authority Act 1999 gives the Mayor the power to do this.”
“Londoners were consulted on this proposal and they will be also able to vote on candidates supporting and opposing it on 1 May.”
“Porsche has a vested interest in seeking to prevent London government from exercising its powers to improve the environment. Surveys show a big majority of Londoners support a higher congestion charge for the most CO2 emitting vehicles. The Mayor will contest this action vigorously.”
The car maker has launched an online petition to gather support for its judicial review against the charge.
In a statement on their website Porsche say the proposed charge “sends out the wrong message about London as a place to do business and will make successful people look at other cities to locate. We also believe that the increase is disproportionately large – a huge jump in one go that looks more like a political stunt than considered action.”
