Councils in London that force anti-car schemes on drivers are spending thousands on taxis for staff, it can be revealed.
Local authorities in the capital praised by cycling and environmental charities are spending huge sums of taxpayers’ cash on chauffeurs and minicabs.
Ealing Council — which declared a climate emergency in 2019 — has spent at least £30,000 on cabs in the past three years.
But the real amount is likely to be significantly higher because the west London authority refused to reveal taxis that may have been put through as “other business expenses”.
The council’s “Climate and Ecological Emergency Strategy” promises that the borough will be carbon neutral by 2030.
It also says the “vast majority” of motoring journeys can be done by bicycle, on foot or by public transport as short vehicle journeys “could have a huge impact on emission levels”.
However, data obtained by The Times shows that its own spending on taxis has barely changed in three years.
Meanwhile, Hackney Council — which has introduced controversial low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) across 70 per cent of its roads — has spent nearly £20,000 on cabs since 2020.
Under its “Change One Thing” initiative, the east London authority urges motorists to “leave the car at home and walk, cycle or take public transport instead”.
But just like Ealing, its spending on taxis has barely changed since 2022, figures released under freedom of information laws show.
Lambeth Council in south London — which became notorious for introducing an LTN that resulted in such congestion that buses were taking two hours to travel three miles — spent £10,000 on a chauffeur-driven limousine for its mayor last year.
This ‘do as I say, not as I do’ attitude undermines public trust
The Times sought information from the ten best-rated councils according to the Healthy Streets Scorecard.
The campaign is run by a coalition of organisations and charities, including CPRE, to highlight local authorities that have done the most to encourage sustainable modes of transport.
Most councils in the top ten refused to reveal in full — or at all — how much they spent on taxis, often saying that their systems were not capable of finding the information.
Joanna Marchong, Investigations Campaign Manager at the TaxPayers’ Alliance think-tank, commented: “This ‘do as I say, not as I do’ attitude undermines public trust.”
A spokesman for Ealing Council said: “Staff policy only permits car transport where there is no suitable alternative, such as for moving equipment or where there are accessibility or safety requirements.”
Hackney Council added its spending on cabs amounted to only £16 a day last year, adding: “We are proud of our position as a leader in active and sustainable travel, and over 90 per cent of our staff walk, cycle or use public transport to get to work.”
