Cllr Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport Management, Cabinet Member for Transport Management, has apologised for incorrect data being used to report on the city’s temporary congestion charge. He said the authority had been “let down” by a company contracted to compile the figures on how the charge had impacted small businesses, including footfall and monthly spend. according to the BBC.

Oxford’s temporary congestion charge was introduced in October and sees motorists paying a £5 fee to travel through one of six points in the city centre.

Mr Gant also apologised for delays to a promised survey, designed to better understand how the policy has affected businesses.

Before it began, the local authority said it would release monthly data about the programme, including traffic movements, how much money was being collected and specific information on business.

The council has now confirmed that the footfall and spend figures were inaccurate, citing failures by a company contracted to supply the data.

Taking responsibility for the errors, Cllr Gant said:

“All of this data is commissioned from external suppliers and in this case they let us down. That’s bad. I do accept that. We intended to have that data and it turned out to be unreliable.

“But we are trying to be responsible about making sure we get it and when we do get it and we do use it, that it is accurate.”

(Picture: Oxfordshire County Council)