As the Ulez expansion, which will see a fee of £12.50 introduced today for vehicles that do not meet pollution criteria, sets in there has been much talk on the topic – from discussion about clean air zones elsewhere to criticism of the motivations behind the scheme and the responses of various politicians.
After the furore of the Uxbridge byelection and Sadiq Khan’s eventual announcement that he would up the amount businesses could access to support them with replacing their vehicles, the topic is still generating discussion. This is despite the fact that only around 200,000 out of the 2.3 million vehicles in London are non-compliant.
Looking into the conversation and why opponents and proponents are still vocal, Sustainability Beat rounds up the main news on Ulez from over the past few days.
Accusations of ‘war on motorists’
Following Tory success at the Uxbridge byelection, the government is being accused of looking to use the Ulez expansion as an opportunity to attack Labour for its “war on motorists” and will accuse Labour of unfairly targeting those who cannot afford to update their vehicle to one that meets the pollution limit.
Speaking on various radio stations transport secretary Mark Harper said that “no central government money could be used to roll it out” and stated that it was the Mayor’s decision and therefore had to be funded by the mayor.
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Sadiq Khan bites back
However Sadiq Khan has been adamant that he will not back track on the scheme, speaking to BBC Breakfast this morning (August 29) he said:
“If it was a cash grab as the government is saying just to raise money I would have acceded to their demand to expand the Ulez without proper consultation and a proper scrappage scheme.”
“This is about helping our air be cleaner, and in a couple of years time TfL have predicted there will be no additional money because of the number of non compliant but every penny net made is used to reinvest in public transport, improving buses public transport in outer London”
“And here’s the irony of ironies, it was this government that published air quality directives, the right thing to do, encouraging cities to clean up their air. It was this government that have supported clean air zones across the country, the right thing to do in Bristol, in Birmingham, in Bath but for some reason they’re refusing to support London and are trying to make party political gain out of a public policy”.
‘This is about helping our air be cleaner’
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan spoke to #BBCBreakfast about the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to the whole of Greater Londonhttps://t.co/6n9iPbdkDk pic.twitter.com/QMy52U3TVC
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) August 29, 2023
Criticism of Keir Starmer’s approach
Speaking to the New Statesman magazine, Rosamund Kissi-Debrah – the mother of Ella Adoo Kissi-Debrah who became the first person to have air pollution on her death certificate after she died aged nine in 2013 – said “I think Keir is a decent man but I think he needs to be careful not to give the other side ammunition…was I annoyed at him? Yes, because I didn’t think he should sell out the Labour Mayor”.
Recent research has also linked air pollution with antibacterial resistance, on top of its links with lung conditions and cardiovascular issues.
Traders can reclaim the charge on their tax return
Self-employed traders, one of the groups potentially most impacted by the extra charge, have been told that they can claim tax relief on the Ulez duty if their vehicles are used solely for the purpose of trade.
The FSB (Federation of Small Businesses) were previously behind criticism of the scheme, however, speaking to the BBC FSB spokesperson Craig Beaumont said: “This is a shot in the arm for sole traders who’s businesses will be hit by the Ulez charge from today”.
Coveted Ulez-free parking spots
In an effort to avoid Ulez fees some residents on Moor Lane in Chessington, in south west London bordering Surrey, have been offered up to £100 a month in return for a parking spot as the road is the last Ulez free road before the zone kicks in.
Residents of the road told The Guardian that they had been offered the money by people who were looking to access the charge free corridor.
Bath success
A dose of optimism about clean air zones came this week as a report published by Bath and North East Somerset Council highlighted that Bath, which was the first city outside London to introduce clean air zones in 2021, has reduced nitrogen dioxide pollution by 26% since then.
The hope, many would argue whether or not they agree there is adequate scrappage or support, is that this level of improvement can play out across other slow emissions schemes.
