A campaign to end an unfair tax on south London councils has reached Parliament.

Carshalton and Wallington MP Tom Brake introduced an early day motion in the House of Commons on Tuesday, April 17, to garner support for our No to Lee Valley Tax campaign stopping councils being forced to pay millions of pounds for a north London park.

He has already received support from Croydon MPs Richard Ottaway, who co-sponsored the early day motion in Parliament, and Gavin Barwell.

We launched the campaign last week, calling for a change in Government legislation that since 1967-68 has required all London councils to contribute funding to the Lee Valley Regional Park.

This year it will cost Croydon, Sutton, Wandsworth, and Merton councils a total of £1.2m to fund the park, that will also inherit £170m of taxpayer-funded Olympic venues this year.

Mr Brake called on the coalition Government to amend the legislation that created the Lee Valley Regional Park levy to allow London Local Authorities the option of investing the money they currently contribute to the Lee Valley Regional Park via the levy into other regional parks.

Richard Ottaway, Conservative MP for Croydon South, said: “This outdated anachronism was introduced in the days of the GLC and has just never been changed – the last time the issue was raised a survey in Croydon showed only four people had been there.”

Mr Barwell, MP for Croydon Central, added: “The priority is getting us out of it, that is the best outcome, so the first option would be preferable but probably the harder to deliver.

“The alternative of including Wandle Valley in the arrangement is likely to be easier and is a compromise. The principal is that as it stands the arrangement is completely unfair.

“I know Tom Brake well and will be more than happy to work with him on bringing about a solution.”

Croydon’s third MP, Malcolm Wicks, is not supporting the campaign.

He said: “I take the idea of Great London very seriously and there will be other large projects across London that need support – for example, the Crystal Palace Park, or if the Croydon Tram link is to be extended.

“If I was in Enfield or Havering or Hillingdon I might say ‘Why am I paying for a tram I’m never going to ride?’.

“What I would say is, we are paying too much and I would like to see the figure renegotiated in the next six months.”

A readers poll run on our website last week showed overwhelming support for the campaign. Of more than 200 people who voted, 83 per cent said south London should stop funding the Lee Valley Regional Park.

You can add your vote below.