Congestion Charging

Smithfield workers in protest march

By Laura Smith

Evening Standard

17 February 2003

Demonstrations across London greeted the launch of congestion charging today.

From market traders at Smithfield to protesters with banners in Kennington, hundreds braved the cold to make clear their reaction to the scheme.

At Smithfield meat market hundreds of workers voiced fury at Ken Livingstone. The workers form the most hardcore opposition to the £5-a-day toll - with some threatening to go to prison rather than pay.

Today, as they turned up for work well before dawn, they were met by Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith, who denounced the charge as "nonsense".

Mr Duncan Smith, whose party has consistently opposed the charge, said: "It's classic Ken. It has cost huge amounts of money to implement and it's going to hit those sorts of people who have no other way of getting in to work. If he'd thought about it at all he would realise that it's only going to hit the people on low incomes who can least afford it."

Later more than 400 members of the Smithfield Market Tennants Association were set to demonstrate against the charge with a march from the market to Mansion House, where they were due to present a letter to the Lord Mayor, and then on to the GLA, where they will present a written protest to Mr Livingstone's office.

The workers, many of whom live in the suburbs of east London and Essex, claim the charge is nothing but a "tax" because they have no alternative but to drive into work. Their trading hours start from 3am onwards - when public transport is non-existent - but they will have to pay the charge on their way home.

George Abrahams, a member of the Smithfield Market's Tenants Association said: "If there was a 24-hour Tube service then at least we would have a choice. But Smithfield meat market has been here for a thousand years and this charge is being forced upon us."

Mr Abrahams, who travels to the market from Essex at around 2.30am every day, added: "I'd like to challenge Ken Livingstone to try getting into work in these subzero temperatures, for a month, waiting for a bus at that time of the morning."

Elsewhere there were both gestures of support and opposition to the charge. A handful of protesters braved the bitterly cold weather to take a stand against its introduction.

Motorist Steve Jordan, from Farnborough, Kent, said: "I think it's a total liberty. It's another tax on people and we get ripped off enough," he said.

Among the demonstrators from the Westminster Conservative Party, Nick Dines, 24, said: "It's an unfair aggressive tax on Londoners. The principle is wrong and the scheme is wrong."

In South London, protesters with banners lined streets on the boundary streets. On Kennington Lane around 20 residents joined councillors. Driver Stuart Cutts said his fruit and vegetable delivery business was going to close because of the congestion charge. "My boss is jacking in the business because we will lose too much money now," he said.

Clapham Tory councillor Bernard Gentry, who was with the protesters, said: "This is just the start of the battle for the people of south London."

Others had different view, however. The London Assembly Green Group staged a "non-alcoholic champagne" celebration at Angel, Islington to celebrate " London's big brave experiment".

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