Every house with driveway ‘charged per metre’ in new tax plans | Personal Finance | Finance
Everyone who has a paved driveway could face annual charges under radical proposals put forwards in a bid to tackle climate change in cities.
A report commissioned by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has suggested a raft of drastic solutions to combat flooding caused by the climate crisis in London, which could extend to other cities in the UK if implemented successfully.
One such suggestion was that people with paved driveways could be made to pay ‘stormwater charges’, due to having no natural run off areas for rainwater to return to the earth in their garden.
The report says: “Paving front gardens further adds to the problem. Although paving over one or two gardens may not seem to make a difference, the combined effect of lots of people in a street or area doing this can increase the risk of flooding.
“The harm caused by paving gardens is not limited to just flooding. Hard surfaces such as concrete and asphalt collect pollution (oil, petrol, brake dust etc) that is washed off into the drains. Many drains carry rainwater directly to streams or rivers where the pollution damages wildlife and the wider environment.”
The report then suggests that charges based on the surface area of their land that is impermeable could be introduced to “disincentivise’ people paving green spaces, as well as produce ‘much needed revenue’.
“As more people are angered by their neighbours adding to local flood risk, one solution could be charging people based on the surface area of the land they own that is impermeable. This would not only raise much needed revenue to mitigate risks, but also disincentivise paving over gardens and other green spaces.”
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said about the report: “Climate change is one of the biggest dangers our capital faces, and its effects cannot be ignored. “I welcome this review, which I commissioned after seeing first-hand during recent years how extreme weather can devastate communities, ruin businesses and end lives.
“It is essential that we invest in key sectors and prepare our public services so that London can continue to grow and thrive in the face of climate change, and the review provides clarity and direction on how to do this.
“This is also an issue of social justice as the review makes clear it is Londoners on lower incomes that are most exposed to the impacts of dangerous climate change.
“I accept the recommendations made to City Hall, and we will work to take forward the recommendations over the coming months, working with our new national Government, local councils, businesses and London’s communities We do not have a moment to waste.”
