In a Senedd debate held (April 26) Natasha Asghar, Senedd member for South Wales East, questioned Vaughan Gething, Minister for Economy, about the impact of proposed road-user charges on the economy. Asghar argued that the additional costs associated with congestion charges could deter residents from visiting city centres, negatively affecting local businesses.

Gething responded by highlighting the public health and economic costs associated with traffic congestion, pointing out that in 2019, Cardiff experienced an economic cost of £109 million due to congestion. He emphasised the need to address this issue in towns and cities across Wales and acknowledged that Cardiff Council is considering consulting on proposals that may include road-user charging.

Addressing concerns that road-user charges would damage the economy, Gething pointed out that other cities, such as London, have not suffered economic collapse due to similar charges. In fact, he mentioned that London has seen public health benefits and more effective public transport as a result of road-user charging.