Giving birth will prove more costly at Chelsea & Westminster

Pregnant mums could end up paying £8 to give birth warns LBH&F. The charges have come about because the congestion charge is extending west (on 19 February 2007), putting an invisible toll barrier between the mums and their nearest maternity unit and could possibly lead to more women choosing to call an ambulance rather than having the extra worry of paying a charge.

Mums who pay on the day will have to stump up £8, but those in labour for extended periods will have to pay more – £10 if paid after midnight, and £50 after 24 hours. Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, west London’s main maternity unit, is inside the extended zone whereas most of its catchment area – Hammersmith and Fulham – is not.

Councillors from the borough are joining with the West London Residents Association in a go-slow protest on Saturday (17 February 2007) against the extension. This is an eleventh hour attempt to force the Mayor of London to reconsider implementing the scheme.

Councillor Nick Botterill, cabinet member for environment, said, “This scheme is cutting residents off from vital services, of which maternity units are just one example. Do we really expect women in labour to jump on a bus? And should they really be fined if they forget to pay the charge whilst in labour? The Mayor of London should call a halt to this costly, unnecessary and damaging tax on west Londoners.”

David Tarsh, from the West London Residents Association, said, "By cordoning off a large residential area the c-charge extension is creating a ghetto for the privileged, where others have to pay to get in. Ghettos are abhorrent to civilised society; they belong in the history books, not in 21st century London."

February 15, 2007