Ban battle costs rise
Page 8
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• Fighting Condition 11 of the London Lorry Ban will cost the Road Haulage Association, Freight Transport Association and Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders more than £220,000.
This includes the legal costs the three associations have had to pay during the three stages of the battle in the High Court, Court of Appeal and House of Lords. The London Boroughs Transport Committee won the last round in the House of Lords in July, which allowed it to force operators of trucks weighing 16.5 tonnes or more, using lorry ban permits, to fit air brake silencers.
The LBTC was awarded costs and at the time the FTA said it expected the amount to be more than the £100,000, set aside in a fighting fund.
However, the FTA and RHA now say that costs could be closer to £250,000 before tax. The director-generals of the FTA and RHA are due to meet the SMMT to decide how to split the amount. The RHA says "we have made provisions".
The European Commission is looking at the legality of Condition 11 under Community law, following approaches from the RHA and FTA.