HUNDREDS of residents, businesses and organisations across the county have given their views on the final draft proposals for the Oxford Zero Emission Zone.

Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council asked members of the public for feedback on plans for the red zone of the ZEZ, which will ban fossil fuel vehicles unless motorists pay a charge.

The councils were looking for opinions on the level the charges are set at, whether the discounts were appropriate, as well as the suggested hours of operation for the charging scheme.

In 2017, both councils announced joint proposals to introduce a zero emission zone in Oxford to reduce air pollution in the city. The 900 consultation responses will inform a formal consultation on the red zone ZEZ, and the formulation of the legal order required to bring the zone into force.

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Current proposals are for charging in the red zone between 7am-7pm, with a £10 fee for fossil fuel vehicles entering the city centre zone.

Formal consultation on the scheme will start next month with both councils making a formal decision in the spring, which could mean the scheme coming into effect in December.

If approved, a wider Green Zone, covering the rest of the city centre, is proposed for introduction in 2021/22.

Tom Hayes, city council cabinet member for Zero Carbon Oxford, said: "The continued engagement and passion around the proposals continues to motivate us in our goal to tackle Oxford’s toxic air pollution."