Bath: Drivers could be charged to enter city centre

Drivers might have to pay to enter parts of central Bath under new council plans.

Bath and North East Somerset Council is considering charging people for permits to enter the city centre's security zone, from 2025 or 2026.

The zone covers York Street and several other roads in the centre of the city.

Councillor Andrew Furse criticised the plans, saying residents on a "very low wage" would have to pay for "access to their own city centre".

Businesses, tradespeople and people living in the zone would need to apply for a permit under the scheme, which the council hopes would generate £30,000.

The proposal also includes charging for requests to access CCTV and fees to cover "incident rooms" for big events which the council sets up for emergency planning.

It is being included in budget plans to be implemented in 2025 or 2026, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

At a meeting of the council's corporate scrutiny panel on 25 January, Mr Furse said: "Many residents in and around the city centre who are on very low wage, who own a car because they have to because of where they work or the type of work they do, will have to pay more and more for access to their own city centre."

The city centre security zone was introduced to prevent vehicle based terrorist attacks.

The cost of implementing the scheme recently surpassed £3 million.

A final budget will be agreed by Bath and North East Somerset Council's cabinet on 9 February.

It will go to full council for approval on 21 February.

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