A councillor has said Oxford’s Zero Emissions Zone (ZEZ) has not been “ambitious” enough and has cast doubt over its achievements. 

Ian Middleton, Green Party county councillor, said the ZEZ had not been properly advertised.

One year on from the scheme being launched, he suggested it was more like a “Low Emissions Zone”.

The scheme which charges motorists to drive through the city has raised nearly £700,000 since it was launched and was the first Zero Emissions Zone in Britain when it began.

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Vehicles are charged between £2 and £10 per day depending on their emissions between 7am and 7pm.

But Mr Middleton expressed his frustration with polluting motorists still driving through the zone.

He explained: “At the moment, it is a ZEZ which you can pay to pollute. 
“If you can afford it you can pay to go in with your polluting car.

 “I don’t know whether it has achieved what it expected to achieve.”

Mr Middleton said the council had not been “ambitious” enough and hoped the zone would be expanded in the future. 

He added: “My issue is that it is not a ZEZ but a Low Emissions Zone.

“We need to be clear on what it is trying to achieve there.

“It doesn’t go far enough in its ambitions or what it is set out to be.”

The pilot scheme has so far only covered a handful of city streets.

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Green Party city councillor Emily Kerr added: “I think it has been very successful.

“You used to see a lot of delivery drivers on mopeds but now there is more people on e-bikes. 

“It certainly feels like it is having an effect in the city centre.”

Ms Kerr believes more people need to be converted to electric modes of transport across the city centre.

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In response to the suggestion ZEZ will be expanded, a county council spokesman previously said: "These proposals will be preceded by extensive stakeholder engagement and are subject to public consultation.

"The final decision on the expansion of the ZEZ scheme will be made by the county council cabinet.”

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Conservative county councillor and shadow cabinet member for highways Liam Walker said: “The anti-motorist coalition at county hall are turning Oxfordshire into some camera enforcement county with every opportunity to fine drivers being used."

“Despite the impact of the cost of living, the council are literally hammering motorists for thousands of pounds and pumping this cash back into more anti-car measures with residents picking up the tab."

An Oxfordshire County Council spokesman said: “The Oxford ZEZ pilot has been running for one year. Income it raises will be used to cover its operating costs and to fund measures like supporting the transition to zero emission vehicles and encouraging active travel.

“The pilot enables us to test the scheme’s operating and charging systems and to gather customer feedback.

"This learning is being used to inform proposals for the expansion of the zero emission zone to a larger area of central Oxford. 

"The expansion will be subject to public consultation and a decision by the council’s cabinet.

"Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras record information needed for scheme operation and enforcement. They do not record the wider area or record constantly.”