Sheffield Congestion Charge From Feb 27th 2023

[mike1961]

2 hours ago, Planner1 said:

If I’m honest, I think you are talking a load of nonsense.

 

The government have only acted because they have been prosecuted in court by environmental activists and the courts have made them act to correct the compliance issue as quickly as possible.

 

Councils are only implementing theses schemes because the government has made them, as a result of the court action.

 

To suggest that any of this has been done just to make money simply beggars belief.

 

The Council had to implement a CAZ and had to do a lot of work including modelling to find out which of the types of CAZ mandated by the government would do the job. The work that underpinned that choice had to be scrutinised by the government in a business case.
 

The council committee chair said that the government selected the CAZ boundary and I’ve not seen anything credible to suggest otherwise.

 

Yes nitrogen oxide emissions of vehicles are improving and I’d reckon that the government expected that this would lead to legal compliance at some point in the future. However, the courts have forcibly pointed out to them that the law applies now.

So we roll over and have our bellies tickled because of a load of environmental activists who have nothing better to do than hug trees and drink lentil tea etc etc.

 

[Planner1]

22 minutes ago, mike1961 said:

So we roll over and have our bellies tickled because of a load of environmental activists who have nothing better to do than hug trees and drink lentil tea etc etc.

 

Well, they are legal limits and there’s no denying that they are being exceeded.  The courts have agreed with the activists ( who are lawyers) and insisted that the government ensures that the legal limits are achieved in the quickest possible time. There’s the prospect of huge fines if they don’t and the government have passed legislation to enable any fines to be passported directly to any councils where exceedences of legal limits are found.

 

So, unless councils toe the line and act, they could be facing multi million pound fines. The SCC committee chair also mentioned that the government had threatened to send in their inspectors to implement the CAZ if SCC didn’t. Neither of these scenarios would be attractive to local councillors, so you can well understand why they are getting on with it.

[RollingJ]

Just now, Planner1 said:

Well, they are legal limits and there’s no denying that they are being exceeded.  The courts have agreed with the activists ( who are lawyers) and insisted that the government ensures that the legal limits are achieved in the quickest possible time. There’s the prospect of huge fines if they don’t and the government have passed legislation to enable any fines to be passported directly to any councils where exceedences of legal limits are found.

 

So, unless councils toe the line and act, they could be facing multi million pound fines. The SCC committee chair also mentioned that the government had threatened to send in their inspectors to implement the CAZ if SCC didn’t. Neither of these scenarios would be attractive to local councillors, so you can well understand why they are getting on with it.

Which 'Law firm' would that be? I have my suspicions.

[Planner1]

8 minutes ago, RollingJ said:

Which 'Law firm' would that be? I have my suspicions.

Client Earth

[RollingJ]

Just now, Planner1 said:

Client Earth

Thank you . Not the one I was thinking of. Never heard of them - what useful work do they do?

[Planner1]

11 minutes ago, RollingJ said:

Thank you . Not the one I was thinking of. Never heard of them - what useful work do they do?

I’d suspect they’d consider all their work useful. Check their website

[RollingJ]

Just now, Planner1 said:

I’d suspect they’d consider all their work useful. Check their website

Well, they would , wouldn't they? I'll look later - dinner calls, and I have things to do elsewhere.

[mike1961]

19 minutes ago, RollingJ said:

Thank you . Not the one I was thinking of. Never heard of them - what useful work do they do?

Exactly,do tell ?

[RollingJ]

Just now, mike1961 said:

Exactly,do tell ?

He has provided a link to their site. I have other things to do tonight.

[mike1961]

44 minutes ago, Planner1 said:

Well, they are legal limits and there’s no denying that they are being exceeded.  The courts have agreed with the activists ( who are lawyers) and insisted that the government ensures that the legal limits are achieved in the quickest possible time. There’s the prospect of huge fines if they don’t and the government have passed legislation to enable any fines to be passported directly to any councils where exceedences of legal limits are found.

 

So, unless councils toe the line and act, they could be facing multi million pound fines. The SCC committee chair also mentioned that the government had threatened to send in their inspectors to implement the CAZ if SCC didn’t. Neither of these scenarios would be attractive to local councillors, so you can well understand why they are getting on with it.

I feel so sorry for the local councillor's