Anger is growing as more drivers find out about Kingston Council’s plans to hike the cost of parking permits.

The authority is proposing to increase some people’s charges to up to four times their current cost – all tied to their vehicle’s emissions.

The council claims the move will improve air quality, but critics say it will simply make the council money by penalising a particular group of people – those who park in Controlled Parking Zones).

A petition against the increases has gathered more than 2,000 signatures.

And 168 people turned out to a public meeting at St Luke’s Church in Kingston, despite it only having been announced two days previously, to discuss how best to fight back against the scheme.

Damon Noad, one of the organisers behind the campaign, said: “There was a lot of anger at the council’s proposal.

“Lots of people wanted to speak, and lots of people wanted to start crowdfunding for legal action.

“I think there was a lot of surprise that a council would suddenly do something so radical without consulting residents.”

The council pointed out that one in 20 deaths in Kingston are thought to have air pollution as a contributing factor.

But Mr Noad said this scheme would “not make a jot of difference” to air quality.

He said: “Linking vehicles to emissions in about 10% of the population is going to improve nothing.

“Even if we do leave our vehicles at home and use public transport or bicycles, we are still having to pay for emissions.

“Emissions are far more linked to how much you use a vehicle, rather than the vehicle itself.”

Councillor Hilary Gander, portfolio holder for environment and sustainable transport, said: “Clean air is essential for a good quality of life, and how we move around Kingston has a huge effect on our collective health and life expectancies.”

She said the council wants to encourage people to make fewer unnecessary car journeys, and emphasised how important it is to the administration to tackle unhealthy air.

Mr Noad and others will bring a community motion to a full council meeting on April 24, to discuss the changes.

A decision will be made at the next Environment and Sustainable Transport Committee (the date is currently uncertain due to the European Parliament elections).