Oxford business demand answers for congestion charge ‘harm’

At a meeting of the council’s cabinet yesterday, members of the Oxford Business Action Group (OBAG) asked councillors for transparency, consultation, and acknowledgement ahead of the introduction of traffic filters in August.

Cabinet meeting, June 16 (Image: Isabella Harris/NQ)

This follows years of calls for accountability and the publishing of survey results and “consumer spend data” this week, which the council said “reveals how business conditions and performance have changed since the temporary congestion charge was introduced”.

Gareth Epps, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for transport, said: “There are many challenges affecting businesses at this time, and data can help us understand what is having an impact.

“While it’s great that nearly 80 per cent of businesses who gave a view on their performance compared to a year ago said they are doing the same or better, it is clear that many are feeling significant pressures due to a number of local and national factors.”

Congestion charge sign (Image: Isabella Harris/NQ)

The data also showed 58 per cent of shopfront businesses have fewer customers since the congestion charge came into force eight months ago, and spend in Oxford’s shopping neighbourhoods has gone down more than in comparable cities.

Restauranteur and OBAG spokesperson, Bernadette Evans, said: “This isn’t happening to just a handful of us but to hundreds of brilliant hard-working shopfront business owners who’ve had the rug pulled from under them.”

The information was collected after businesses lobbied the county council to provide data on how the congestion charge was impacting trade, particularly footfall.

She stated: “We’ve never been asked if we’ve been impacted by the LTNs, the removal of parking or the congestion charge, and we know it’s because you know you won’t like what you hear.”

The charge is temporary and will be replaced by traffic filters after the reopening of the Botley Road.

Fraser Lloyd Jones, who is a part of Oxford Business Action Group and runs Barefoot Bakery, said: “Operating four sites in Oxford City Centre, not once have I been contacted in person, by email, phone or letter to ask my opinion on the consultation phase or the effect it has had on our business since implementation.”

He has a fifth site in Kidlington, where there is free parking and no limits on vehicle movement, which has been growing month on month.

This is not the case for one of his bakeries in Cowley, which may have to close “as footfall in the St Clements area has all but disappeared” amid restrictions, on top of increased business rates.

He described “unprecedented disruption” with works including the long-running Botley Road closure, saying businesses are just trying to “survive”.

Fraser said: “Where is the robust, independently verified evidence that demonstrates these restrictions have delivered a net economic benefit for Oxford?”

Previously, the council has been forced to apologise after congestion charge data collated by an external supplier was found to be faulty.

Geoff Sutton of OBAG and Reconnecting Oxford has analysed walking data and said footfall had reduced on St Clements, having a “severe impact” in “quick waves” with a range of restrictions “removing passing trade”.

He believes predictions for increased active travel with the scheme were “wrong” and people have been catching buses instead, bypassing local businesses.

Bernadette has attended around 20 council meetings speaking for businesses and calling for change, conversation and accountability on the congestion charge, but does not feel heard.

The group “welcomed” new transport boss Mr Epps, agreeing to speak with him after the meeting, but fear there will not be policy change as plans are already approved, with “tweaking around the edges and fiddling while Rome burns”.