The government is under attack for planning to introduce road pricing by stealth.

New laws before parliament will allow the imposition of congestion taxes, road pricing and workplace parking taxes, the Conservative Party has warned.

Earlier this week plans for a Manchester congestion charge were overwhelming defeated.

The small print of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill gives new powers to unelected bodies to control transport policy – including the power to levy new taxes.

The bill gives the secretary of state the power to create new ‘combined authorities’, made up or two or more local authority areas.

They will, if the bill is passed un-amended, control economic development, regeneration and transport policy.

“The very small print – the obscure Schedule 6 of the Bill – allows the unelected combined authorities to impose local charging schemes, in the form congestion taxes, road pricing and workplace parking taxes,” said the Conservatives.

“We are warning that Labour politicians will use these new unelected quangos to slip in the new taxes.

"This is despite the fact that the Manchester congestion charge was overwhelmingly rejected this month by 79% to 21%.”

Speaking ahead of the second reading debate earlier this week, Sayeeda Warsi, Shadow Minister for Communities, said: “These proposed new laws are the antithesis of local democracy. Yet more unelected quangos are taking power away from local people.”