Four councils threaten action to examine ‘legal basis’ of ULEZ expansion decision by London Mayor
Four London boroughs – Bromley, Bexley, Harrow and Hillingdon – have sent a pre-action protocol letter to the Mayor of London’s office and Transport for London (TfL) seeking further information on the lawfulness of the decision to expand London’s Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ).
Drivers of cars that do not meet the emissions standards will have to pay £12.50 a day to enter the Greater London Authority boundary, from 29 August 2023.
The announcement came despite “overwhelming” opposition to the plans, after a public consultation found 80% of people in the affected areas were opposed the expansion of the zone.
According to the BBC, the Conservatives allege City Hall officials tried to "manipulate" the consultation process.
Cllr Colin Smith, Leader of Bromley Council said: “The decision to blatantly ignore a significant majority opinion of Londoners who responded to TfL’s consultation exercise, based on the highly questionable, selective and incomplete findings of a research paper commissioned by TfL themselves, simply cannot be allowed to pass unchallenged.”
He noted that Bromley already has “amongst the cleanest air in London” and that Bromley’s air remains cleaner than that of any of the boroughs “already ensnared within the existing ULEZ scheme”.
Cllr Baroness O’Neill, Leader of Bexley Council, said: "We refused to allow the Mayor of London to put his cameras on our street furniture before Christmas, but we understand he may have the powers to do so without our consent.
"We are working with other boroughs to gain further information from the Mayor to ascertain the lawfulness of his recent decisions. In this context, we are not currently engaging with TfL to progress agreements to allow works on our roads."
Earlier this week, Sutton Council announced that it will seek to block the installation of Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) cameras in the borough, arguing that the scheme is “unfair to its residents”.
Sutton Liberal Democrats are calling for Transport for London to introduce a more comprehensive scrappage scheme, provide more time for people to change to compliant vehicles, and increase the number of buses and trams in Sutton.
Individual boroughs must give permission to TfL to install the 2,750 cameras needed for the expansion of ULEZ.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan told Mayor’s Question Time: “We cannot delay. Londoners’ lives depend on urgent action to clean up the air.”
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London, said: “The Mayor has been clear that the decision to expand the Ultra-Low Emission Zone London-wide was not easy, but it’s necessary to reduce toxic air pollution, tackle the climate emergency and cut congestion in our city. Around 4,000 Londoners die prematurely each year due to the toxic air in our city, with the greatest number of deaths attributable to air pollution in London’s outer boroughs. We are aware of a letter from a few London boroughs relating to the expansion of ULEZ London-wide, which we are considering.”
Lottie Winson
