Demos report come after two ministers publicised unverified claims about low-traffic neighbourhood schemes
Politicians should be subject to stricter rules on spreading disinformation or wild claims for which there is scant evidence, the thinktank Demos has urged, after senior members of the UK government repeated conspiracy theories on 15-minute cities. Parliament’s ethics and standards watchdog should urgently review its requirements to ensure ministers were truthful and accurate in their communications on contentious issues, and avoid spreading disinformation that can polarise debate, the thinktank said in a report on low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs). Central government had created serious problems for local authorities with its wild swings on the issue of LTNs, Demos added, as ministers first enthusiastically backed such schemes and ordered them to be implemented swiftly during the Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020, then veered away when their unpopularity among some motorists became apparent. The government is now seeking to limit local authorities’ ability to implement the schemes, even though a report commissioned by ministers found they were popular and beneficial. The health minister Maria Caulfield repeated the untrue claim that plans for 15-minute cities – a term coined to describe livable communities where amenities such as GP surgeries, shops and leisure facilities are within walkable distance for most people – would include a road toll on anyone travelling by car more than 15 minutes from home. Mark Harper, a transport minister, went further and endorsed false claims that LTNs are a means to prevent people travelling outside their local area without permission.
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