The Opposition Green Party councillors took on the surge of oversized, high-polluting vehicles at Full Council on 8 July 2025, urging Richmond Council to introduce parking charges that reflect a car’s size and emissions.
The Green motion – proposed by Cllr Caroline Wren and seconded by Cllr Andrée Frieze – asked officers to design a fair, “polluter-pays” fee structure for the 2026/27 budget.
Despite cross-party support for similar measures at the London Assembly in June 2025, including the Leader of Richmond Council, Cllr Gareth Roberts, in his role as Assembly Member, the Liberal Democrat administration voted the motion down.[1]
Why it matters
- Parking bays can’t cope: more than half of new cars sold in the UK are now wider than the borough’s standard 1.8m on-street bays, with many SUVs topping 2m.
- Danger on our streets: a child struck by an SUV is 82% more likely to die than if hit by a smaller car.[2]
- Public-health cost: 111 people were injured on Richmond’s roads in 2023, costing society over £32million in direct and human costs.[3]
- Climate impact: petrol and diesel SUVs burn around 20% more fuel than medium cars, while even electric SUVs need bigger batteries and more critical minerals.[4]
- We’re falling behind: Around two-thirds of London boroughs now link parking permit prices to vehicle emissions – but Richmond hasn’t had any such scheme since 2011.[5]
Richmond’s transport record still lags
The 2025 UK Council Climate Action Scorecards give Richmond just 54% for Transport – well behind leading London authorities – and it applied a 10% penalty for air-quality failures.
What the Greens said:
“Car-spreading is squeezing our Victorian streets and putting people at risk. If you choose a larger, more polluting vehicle, you should cover its true social cost.”
Cllr Caroline Wren, Opposition councillor for Fulwell and Hampton Hill
“The Lib Dems talk a good game on climate action, but when a practical measure comes forward they duck it. Greens will keep bringing forward solutions the borough needs.”
Cllr Chas Warlow, Deputy Leader of the Opposition
“Richmond pioneered emissions-based charges 20 years ago; it’s past time to update them for today’s super-sized SUVs. Evidence – and 20 other boroughs – show this works.”
Cllr Andrée Frieze, Leader of the Opposition
Next steps
Greens will continue to press the Council’s Transport & Air Quality Committee to adopt size- and emissions-based charges, and will work with residents’ groups, cycling and road-safety campaigners to build support for safer, healthier streets.
[1] https://www.suv-alliance.org.uk/blog/london-mayor-urged-to-tackle-impacts-of-suvs
[3] https://www.wearepossible.org/latest-news/londontrafficdata
[4] https://www.suv-alliance.org.uk/
[5] https://interactive.wearepossible.org/parkingaction/
[6] https://councilclimatescorecards.uk/councils/london-borough-of-richmond-upon-thames/
