XMAS C-CHARGE SCRAPPING WELCOME BUT NOW TIME TO REDUCE THE HOURS - FEATHERSTONE

3.52.20pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 19th Oct 2004

Commenting on the announcement by Mayor Livingstone that he will scrap the Congestion charge between Christmas and New Year, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Transport Spokesperson, Lynne Featherstone, said:-

"The scrapping of the charge between Christmas and New Year will come as a welcome boost for shoppers and businesses in the capital.

"For many traders the first week of the New Year sales is a make or break time that can be the difference between survival and demise.

"Now that Mr Livingstone has seen the benefit to traders that scrapping the charge between Christmas and New Year will bring, it is now time he reduced the hours the C-Charge operates from 6.30pm to 5pm to help the arts, the restaurants and the bars in the West End."

ENDS

Notes to editor

During the run up to the London Mayoral elections in June 2004, the Liberal Democrats put forward a series of proposals to make the Congestion charge easier and help businesses in the West End. These included:-

· SCRAPPING the C-Charge between Christmas and New Year

· ENDING the congestion charge at 5pm instead of 6.30pm

· EXTENDING the period for paying at the normal rate up to midnight, and for all of the following day

· INTRODUCING block purchasing/pre pay of C-charge passes

· GIVING five free goes into the Congestion charge zone

· HALTING any expansion of the scheme into Kensington and Chelsea