Bristol Clean Air Zone charges could rise under city council plans to balance books

Motorists could be charged more to enter Bristol’s Clean Air Zone under city council plans to balance its budget – but it ultimately won’t save the authority a single penny. The current £9 daily fee has not been increased since the scheme launched in 2022, and council officers are seeking approval to ask the government for permission to raise it in line with inflation.

However, budget papers to be considered by councillors on Wednesday, January 15, show that while the idea would bring in an extra £200,000 each year in 2026/27 and 2027/28, the whole £400,000 would be lost again the following year, resulting in a net gain of zero pounds. This is because the local authority assumes the income would drop off as more vehicles become CAZ compliant and would no longer incur the charge.

Other budget proposals affecting drivers include introducing charges for disabled parking bays, bringing in £100,000 a year, and pay-and-display for the Downs, which is expected to reap £200,000. More traffic wardens would be recruited over the next 24 months to enforce bus-lane infringements so the council can “meet its sustainable transport goals”, earning the authority a net £100,000 per year.

Plans previously agreed to install automatic number plate recognition cameras at “Keep Clear” zigzag markings outside schools would raise £50,000, while an increase in car parking charges in 2026/27 at a standard fixed price per hour is expected to bring in a further £500,000. Bristol City Council’s cross-party finance sub-committee will consider a raft of money-saving and cash-raising proposals on Wednesday and Thursday, January 15 and 16.

Under the new committee system, the process is different for the first time since the mayoral model was abolished in 2024. Previously, the budget was rubber-stamped at cabinet before going to a vote at full council.

Now, the sub-committee is expected to debate each item in more detail and potentially make changes that will be recommended to the strategy and resources policy committee, which could make further amendments prior to the final decision by full council in February. But the authority’s tight finances mean there is not much wriggle room, so the organisation is open to ideas to balance the books.

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A report to next week’s meetings said Westminster’s local government settlement announced on December 18 was better than expected but still left a massive funding blackhole of £42million in 2025/26 rising to £110million in five years if the council did nothing to address it, largely because of soaring demand for social care. The proposed savings total £43million next year and almost double that by 2029/30.

In a blog post on the authority’s website, council leader Cllr Tony Dyer (Green, Southville) said: “Across the country, councils of all shapes and sizes face bankruptcy. This national crisis in local government finances has been driven by rising operating costs, a lack of government funding, a national failure to reform the country’s health and care system, a national housing crisis, and a growing need for vital safeguarding services for vulnerable children and adults.

“Bristol is no exception and will face bankruptcy if we can’t close a £52million funding gap over the next five years. This needs to start straight away.

“There is no doubt that it means difficult choices, more taxes and charges, and we recognise that the money we raise does not go as far as it once did. We don’t like that any more than local taxpayers do, but it is the reality we must contend with.

“We need to take a bigger, bolder, and more politically courageous approach to our budget. We cannot keep salami-slicing public services, nor can we pretend that words like ‘efficiency’ and ‘productivity’ hold all the answers.

“These approaches have been tried before. Too often the savings haven’t been made, the can has been kicked down the road, and we have overspent our budget.

“This is a very tough time for Bristol, and we recognise the difficulties being faced by many households and communities. We will keep fighting your corner – seeking fair, longer-term funding from government and working with partners like the NHS and regional combined authority to provide more fairly funded, joined-up services.

“This will not be a perfect or painless process – with the challenges we face it was never going to be.”