Last week I wrote about the emphatic refusal of Hammersmith and Fulham Council to allow electric cars to use bus lanes. The policy makes a mockery of the Council’s claims to be concerned about reducing air pollution – despite it killing 72 residents in the Borough a year. The objection was that lots of motorists would switch to electric cars thus making the bus lane of far less significance. But, of course, that scenario would be triumphant from the point of view of those of us who want to breathe clean air.

Could there be a cynical explanation for the Council’s rejection of the policy being so emphatic?

I asked the Council to give me the figure for the total amount of revenue to the Council for the financial year 2014/15 as a result of fines for infringements of bus lanes.

The response?

The total amount received in 2014-15 for bus lane PCNs was £941,846.