Low Traffic Neighbourhood zones shows war on motorists is all about treating them as cash-cows

Brake force

THE staggering scale of fines imposed for breaching Low Traffic Neighbourhood zones shows the war on drivers is all about treating them as cash-cows.

Fleeced motorists have had to pay £55million in just two years.

That includes a camera on one road in North London that caught 50,000 drivers alone.

Where did all that money go?

Where are all the local “green projects” funded by this massive tax on driving?

The truth is the money is simply hoovered up into local council budgets.

The Sun is pleased that we have sparked a national debate this week about the wisdom of making a dash to net zero before the country is fully ready.

And we’re clearly in tune with public opinion.

Rishi Sunak is suddenly deemed to be doing a better job by Tory members, after promising to stand up for drivers.

They also now overwhelmingly back another of our Give Us A Brake campaign demands — delaying the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars.

We suspect it won’t just be the party faithful rewarding the PM for seeing sense.

The country will thank him, too.

Slash & grow

DOOMSTERS at the Bank of England say the UK is set for another three years of near-zero growth. Really?

But even allowing for yet another of its notorious forecasting fails, it is true that Brits face the biggest tax burden in decades.

And that with rising mortgage costs and millions dragged into higher income tax brackets, the squeeze is real.

That means the Conservatives face going into the next election with an economy in worse shape than hoped.

Yet, in a glimmer of good news for the Government, inflation — still the main enemy — is on course to halve.

If the Tories can slash Britain’s bloated State, and put more money in people’s pockets with tax cuts, voters could still give them the benefit of the doubt.

Over to you, Chancellor.

Beyond a woke

YOU would think that — after the Nigel Farage/Coutts scandal — banking industry leaders would be focused on trying to rebuild the public’s trust.

Yet trade body UK Finance has instead found the time to produce new guidance declaring the term “black market” is racist.

This wilfully ignores the origin of the term — which is a reference to goods being traded in the shadows, or darkness.

It’s also yet more proof of how Britain’s biggest institutions are now addled by politically correct, woke nonsense.