Drivers in 1 major UK city spared from new driveway charges

Sadiq Khan has ruled out introducing new charges to homeowners who enjoy access to private driveways in London. Last year, the London Climate Resilience Review, a report commissioned by the Mayor of London's Office, suggested that introducing charges could reduce flood risks.

The report stressed it could be possible to charge people based on the amount of impermeable land they own, with tarmac driveways the main contributor. The report added that the rule would "disincentivise" the paving over of green spaces such as gardens. However, speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Sadiq Khan's office stressed the Mayor was not set to introduce any "drainage charges" anytime soon.

Officials stressed Mr Khan didn't even have the power to introduce new charges in a boost for London homeowners this summer.

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: "The Mayor is not going to introduce a drainage charge in London, and he doesn't have the power to. The independent Climate Resilience Review set out a number of proposals the Government could look at to reduce the risk of surface water flooding in London and across the country.

"The Mayor recently published the London Surface Water Strategy, which will help enable and support the delivery of cost-effective solutions to manage surface water flooding and help green London."

Permeable land is needed to soak up heavy rainfall, as water is likely to just sit on top of impermeable concrete.

The London Climate Resilience Review, published in July 2024, suggested that "paving front gardens further adds to the problem" of increased rainfall.

They warned that even permeable paving would require regular maintenance with grooves often filling up with moss, weeds and dust.

They stressed this means that permeable paving and driveways do not capture run-off, which can be a particular problem during heavy downpours.

The study suggested that issuing charges could be a way around the issue of the amount of permeable land falling in recent years.

The report explained: "As more people are angered by their neighbours adding to local flood risk, one solution could be charging people based on the surface area of the land they own that is impermeable.

"This would not only raise much-needed revenue to mitigate risks, but also disincentivise paving over gardens and other green spaces."