Families being charged to park on their own DRIVES by Labour council trying to raise up to £1million

Families are to be charged to park on their own drives by a Labour council which could raise up to £1million in fees.

Nearly 200 homes in Streatham Vale have been marked with a red X where Lambeth council says occupants have been driving 'illegally' over pavements to park on their land.

The local authority's so-called 'kerbside strategy' is now demanding that people living in houses with 'illegal crossovers' make their drives official.

It means people would have to pay £4,000 to obtain 'dropped kerbside access'.

It could rake in £1million for the council which in December was reported to be £936million in debt, but furious locals say they are being used as 'cash cows'.

A council pamphlet warned homeowners: 'If these accesses are not formalised in accordance with the council's policy, then parking bays may be placed in front of them, blocking access.'

Ashad Khan, 48, has been living in the area for 20 years and parks his hybrid and electric vehicle on the drive in order to charge the car.

The research scientist told The Telegraph: 'It's an excuse to make money. We paid a premium for these vehicles because they are environmentally friendly. Now the council is penalising us.'

Neil Salt, of Streatham and Croydon North Conservatives, questioned why the ocuncil wanted to now introduce the 'huge levys' considering the many of the crossovers had been used for years without it 'batting an eyelid'.

'It couldn’t possibly have anything to do with the fact the council currently needs to save over £69 million over the next four years, could it?' he said.

The plans were revealed in consultation documents which was launched by the council in December.

A council spokesman said it discovered a 'high number of unauthorised crossing points' during the 'public engagement'.

Lambeth council said: 'It is illegal to drive a vehicle over the pavement without having an authorised vehicle crossover. This requires a resident to make an application, gain approval and pay for the works to adapt the highway to enable safe access.'

MailOnline has contacted Lambeth council for further comment.

The council has recently come under fire after officers were offered a day of 'wellbeing leave' to recover from a public meeting after outraged locals voiced concerns about plans for a LTN.

The council held a drop in event at West Norwood library in April 2023, informing residents about the plans.

Locals were furious about the proposals and made their opinions known at the meeting.

Now a group of local anti-LTN campaigners has taken the council to the High Court to declare the proposals unlawful.

The LTN was introduced in West Dulwich around six months ago.

The barrister for Lambeth Council, Heather Sargeant, wrote that the meeting in 2023 brought councillors to tears and forced council staff to take a lunch break to 'get away' from the hostility from angry residents.

She wrote: 'The experience of officers attending the event for the council (on a Saturday) was so negative that the then head of transport strategy and programmes offered them a day of wellbeing leave.'

The opponents to the LTN have criticised the council for a lack of public consultation and have argued this makes the proposal unlawful.

West Dulwich Service Station Ltd has brought the legal case against the council on behalf of the West Dulwich Action Group, which claims to represent around 1,000 residents who oppose the LTN.