Dean Russell MP joined colleagues in Parliament in denouncing the Mayor of London’s expansion of the Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) to all London Boroughs.
The Labour Mayor announced in November the expansion of the £12.50 daily charge, despite a public consultation concluding that two-thirds of respondents opposed the proposal.
It is estimated a further 160,000 cars and 42,000 vans will be liable, impacting thousands of businesses and individuals who will be penalised for living or working just outside of London.
The scheme, initially implemented in April 2019, operates 24 hours a day every day, except for Christmas Day. The Penalty Charge Notice for failure to comply with the charge will be increased to £180 from April 2023, with Labour-run TfL deciding the charge should be increased in recognition that its deterrent effect has diminished.
Fines collected in the first 11 months of this year totalled nearly £57 million according to TfL, with the RAC estimating that fines could generate £260 million for the London Mayor annually.
Despite the Mayor’s own transport studies determining that the proposal will do little to reduce the levels of air pollution in London, he will push ahead with the expansion regardless, with Sadiq Khan citing alternative transport links. However, in a period of industrial strike action by train operators and unreliable bus services, alternative transport cannot be guaranteed.
Speaking after the debate Dean said, “I reiterate mine and my constituents’ objections to the expansion of the ULEZ scheme. I am disappointed that with Labour, Green and Liberal Democrat London Assembly members backed this unfair expansion, which is nothing more than a raid on household budgets.
"It is not enough for Sadiq Khan to tell people to buy a new car or to use public transport, particularly given that it was his decision to pull the plug on the proposed Met Line extension. To keep the country moving we need certainty, but the only thing that is certain is that this scheme will hit businesses and individuals at what is already a challenging time.”
