Transport for London is very much still considering introducing a scheme that would see Hertfordshire motorists pay to drive into the capital.

The idea would be that drivers with vehicles registered outside London, such as in Hertfordshire, would pay £3.50 to travel into Greater London; for example Harrow or Barnet.

London mayor Sadiq Khan first proposed the Greater London Boundary Charge last December.

The charge is being proposed as a way of raising the £500 million of additional yearly revenue TfL requires, after the Government rejected Mr Khan’s request to have control over vehicle excise duty raised in London.

In a sign the scheme was not just a fanciful idea from the mayor, TfL included the boundary charge in a list of money-making options submitted to the Government's spending review in October.

And board papers presented to TfL's finance committee on October 6 said options to raise £500 million include vehicle excise duty, the Greater London Boundary Charge, or another source of income.

A £3.50 daily fee would raise an estimated £500 million a year, with an estimated 1.3 million vehicle trips made from outside London into the capital every weekday.

Watford Observer: London mayor Sadiq Khan. Credit: PALondon mayor Sadiq Khan. Credit: PA (Image: PA)

TfL said at the beginning of this year that any introduction of a boundary charge would be subject to a feasibility study, and the scheme would also require a full consultation, which TfL has previously said would involve non-Londoners.

The feasibility study was expected to take six months and a TfL spokesperson confirmed to us this week that the study has not yet been completed. However results are expected either by the end of this year or early next year.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps made clear his opposition to the plan in June, saying it would be wrong to impose a "boundary tax" on non-Londoners to pay for services mainly enjoyed by Londoners.

Watford Liberal Democrat mayor Peter Taylor said in February London's Labour mayor can expect a "widespread campaign" if he chose to take the plan forward after Mr Khan wrote to him to inform him about the feasibility study.

Twenty-three Conservative MPs described the mooted charge as "draconian".

According to a TfL document published in October, an additional £1.7 billion of emergency Government funding is required to keep London’s transport network running until 2023.

The network's finances were decimated by the pandemic, which made billion pound Government bailouts in November 2020 and June 2021 vital to keep services running.

In addition to raising vital funds, Mr Khan believes charging drivers to enter London could have significant benefits in terms of managing congestion, cutting emissions and encouraging people to use sustainable modes of transport.

He recently oversaw the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone up to, but not including, the North and South Circular roads.

Drivers of vehicles that don't comply with minimum emissions standards are charged £12.50 to travel into the ULEZ.