Council Leader says still time to delay ULEZ expansion
Kingston Council believes there is still time for London Mayor Sadiq Khan to delay the expansion of the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) to outer London boroughs, due to take place on 29 August.
It will add a daily charge of £12.50 for non-compliant vehicles for using roads across most of Greater London.
Leader of Kingston Council Andreas Kirsch says it will continue fighting for residents and businesses across the borough:
“We urge the Mayor to pause and listen to the concerns of ordinary Londoners who are already being hammered by the cost of living crisis.
“While we support efforts to reduce air pollution, the cost should not fall unfairly on those less able to pay. I wrote to the Mayor in January urging him to delay the rollout of the scheme, improve the scrappage scheme and commit to investing in public transport in Kingston. We chose to try and engage with him, rather than joining the legal challenge and risk wasting taxpayers’ money.
“When ULEZ was started in 2020 in central London, residents were given a three year ‘sunset period’, meaning they did not need to comply with the new emissions standards until 2023. The Mayor should consider something similar, to allow residents and small businesses a reasonable amount of time to trade in their non-compliant cars and vans.
“While we’re pleased the Mayor followed our calls across London to extend the scrappage scheme, he could do more. Kingston Council will continue to push Transport for London to get better public transport and for more funding to make cycling feel safer.
“We’ll continue to fight for the rights of residents and businesses in our borough - particularly those small firms who rely on a car or van for their livelihoods and face being forced out of business by these crippling charges.”