Boris: Westminster must halt for good its blitz on parking

Boris Johnson will urge the new leader of Westminster council to halt for good its "mass blitz" on parking in the West End.

The Mayor's latest intervention raises hopes that its plans for evening and Sunday charges will be permanently scrapped when a successor to Colin Barrow is elected next month.

Mr Barrow announced his resignation at the weekend after a barrage of criticism over his proposals to introduce fees of up to £4.80 an hour in the evenings and on Sunday. Today the Mayor said he was delighted that the handling of the issue would be "going in a different direction" following Mr Barrow's departure. Mr Johnson, who said the plans were a "mistake", will tell the new leader that there must be no "mass blitz" on free parking, according to sources. Mr Johnson told Nick Ferrari on LBC radio: "They got into a jam, as it were, on the parking issue. I didn't agree with that way forward.

"I thought that was a mistake in tough times to be whacking on those big charges on people parking after 6.30pm. I thought that was not the right way forward and I am glad that is going in a different direction."

A source close to the Mayor added: "The Mayor has made it clear that he would expect whoever is the new leader of Westminster to pause, reflect and, yes, halt this."

West End business leaders also piled pressure on the candidates to succeed Mr Barrow. Nightclub owner Peter Stringfellow said: "Whoever takes over has got to understand that the charges have to be dropped immediately. Never in my 30 years in the West End have I seen such anger and fury from business people."

His comments came amid speculation about the future leadership of London's most powerful local authority. It is now expected that a meeting of the council's Tory group tomorrow - effectively signalling the start of the leadership election campaign - will be followed by a statement on parking.

One suggestion is that the council will set up a new commission to look afresh at West End parking controls and how they impact on the local economy.

The charges, originally due to be introduced in January, have been delayed until at least September after a judge ruled that they should be subject of a judicial review.

However, the council has pressed ahead with converting five miles of single yellow lines to doubles in a move that some have criticised as a breach of the High Court ruling. Mr Johnson is said to recognise that "something must be done" to reduce congestion in Westminster but that he wants it carried out in a way that does not impact night-time workers and church goers.