NEWPORT council has raised fresh concerns about Welsh Government plans to start charging drivers for using the nation’s roads.

Making motorists pay to drive in the city could hit the worst-off residents hardest, and end up harming  councils if there is more demand for their services, according to a new report.

The city council also believes a charging scheme could stifle economic growth in Newport.

The Welsh Government’s transport strategy includes an ambition to change people’s travel habits, encouraging them to ditch their own cars in favour of public transport.

That will require an approach which uses both the carrot and the stick, the government concedes.

As incentives, it plans to improve the bus and rail network, as well as integrating ticketing and timetables.

But ministers believe a system of road-user charging, through which drivers would have to pay tolls reflecting their car use, would also do the trick - and they plan to devise a strategy for this by 2026.

Documents show Newport City Council has reservations about a road-user charging scheme.

“Whilst these provide opportunities to influence travel behaviour and generate revenue to support more sustainable modes, it is vital that the risks of unintended consequences are understood and mitigated, in particular those from lower income households [or those] without access to a more sustainable alternative,” the council said in its draft response to a government consultation on the plans.

“These cost pressures are exacerbated during the current cost of living crisis. It is also imperative that sustainable options are provided in advance of charging schemes to genuinely influence behaviour.”

Local authorities may end up taking on an extra burden as an indirect result of the scheme, the council adds.

“Such schemes may also restrict the range of opportunities for employment, further education or leisure activities, all of which are key influences on personal well-being. Whilst we recognise the aspiration for an equitable scheme, this may introduce a significant administrative burden to public authorities.”

Last summer, the Argus reported how the city council said it “does not support the implementation of a local toll on the M4”, and had “no plans to introduce a congestion charge in Newport”.

The debate over road-user charging also follows a similar disagreement between the city council and the Welsh Government, in which ministers’ plans to centralise bus services in Wales allegedly threatened the future of Newport Bus, a company of which the council is the shareholder.