Labour mayor boasts on TikTok about his ‘sick’ taxpayer-funded limo – as his London council cracks down on car use by hiking parking fees and spreading Low Traffic Neighbourhoods_Nhy
The mayor of a London council accused of waging a war on motorists has boasted about being driven around in his ‘sick’ taxpayer-funded car.
John-Paul Ennis, the Mayor of Lambeth, said being chauffeured around in a ‘nice car’ was one of the best perks of the job – despite some of his residents paying up to £800-a-year for a parking permit.
In an interview with DJ AG, an online influencer, the 27-year-old Labour councillor explained that he gets to wear a chain, ‘so that is pretty nice’.
‘You get a nice car as well, you get driven around … it’s sick,’ he added.
Anthony Boutall, who was the borough’s Conservative candidate last year, told The Times Mr Ennis’s comments were a ‘kick in the teeth for residents’.
He said: ‘Labour politicians are completely out of touch with hard-pressed families who have to face the harsh realities of the party’s pernicious policies.’
It comes as Lambeth Council has infuriated locals by introducing a series of policies to limit car use since it became the first local authority to declare a climate emergency in 2019.
The Labour-run local authority has hiked the cost of parking permits and introduced a hated Low Traffic Neighbourhood scheme (LTNS).
John-Paul Ennis (right) , the Mayor of Lambeth, said being chauffeured around in a ‘nice car’ was one of the best perks of the job
John-Paul Ennis (pictured) took on the role as Mayor of Lambeth last year
Lambeth Council has infuriated locals by introducing a series of policies to limit car use since it declared a climate emergency in 2019 (file photo)
It was last year hauled into court by its own residents over the ‘flawed’ plan that was forced through despite a majority opposition from locals.
Legal documents seen by the Telegraph listed various ‘failings’ by the council surrounding the LTN system in West Dulwich.
It was also revealed that Lambeth Council’s consultation found 67.5 per cent of locals asked ‘were either unhappy or very unhappy’ with the LTN plan.
The 23-page document said: ‘Seemingly as a result of the hostility to the proposals, the council members and officers who had attended took an early lunch break and also subsequently concluded the event early such that anyone who arrived during the unadvertised lunch break or towards the end of the advertised time slot was unable to participate.’
It is claimed Lambeth Council ‘has sought to avoid using the term’ LTN and called it ‘street improvements’ instead due to negative connotations associated with the term.
Furthermore, Lambeth Council’s Streatham Wells LTN was accused of causing ‘chaos’ before it was eventually scrapped.
Harriet De Wolff, 57, who owns a gift shop called ‘The Indigo Tree’ on Streatham High Road, previously said: ‘It is an absolute nightmare.
John-Paul Ennis (picturd), the Mayor of Lambeth, said being chauffeured around in a ‘nice car’ was one of the best perks of the job
Map of the Streatham Wells Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) which was introduced in October last year
‘It’s definitely not good for pollution. It’s made it worse.
‘I can taste the fumes in my mouth as I walk down Streatham High Road. That didn’t use to be the case, but now, all the cars and buses stopped in traffic – it’s causing more and more pollution.
‘People who live on this street will never be able to open their windows again.’
Overall the council has spend a whopping £3.4 million on the controversial LTN scheme which residents say has led to traffic jams on a main route out of London.
Meanwhile, The Times has reported that the local authority in Lambeth has raised the cost of residents’ parking permits by 444 per cent over the past two years.
A motorist with a diesel vehicle could be paying as much as £800 per year to park their car in the borough, analysis by the newspaper revealed.
Even someone with a zero-emissions vehicle would now be slapped with a £128.26 fee for a permit.
This is compared to the £39.50-a-year that was charged in 2023, equating to a 224 per cent rise.
General views of traffic on Streatham High Road where the introduction of an LTN made the congestion worse
Picture taken by angry residents living in an area around an LTN in West Dulwich
Over the same period, the price for a driver with a one-litre diesel car has increased from £82.69 to £350.14.
Shockingly if the owner choses to pay in three-monthly instalments, the annual total increases to £450.22 which is a 444 per cent increase over two years.
Lambeth Council said in a statement: ‘Our youngest ever mayor goes to events across Lambeth every day and is inspiring young people, as seen on TikTok with DJ AG.
‘He also cycles and takes public transport in his official role. Most London boroughs have a mayoral vehicle and Lambeth’s is a hybrid.
‘Our wide range of healthy neighbourhood measures, from mini-parks, segregated cycle lanes, more trees, fairer use of our streets, extra bike storage and more all aim to clean our inner London borough’s heavily polluted air, cut road danger and support walking, cycling and taking public transport.’
It added that ‘all council spending is under review’.
MailOnline has contacted the Mayor of Lambeth and Lambeth Council for further comment.
