Sadiq Khan has said he is “unwilling to delay, water down, or step back” from his controversial ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) as he brought in an extended scrappage scheme for non-compliant vehicles.
The London mayor accused the government of putting its “head in the sand” when it comes to climate change and claimed a lack of financial support meant he and his team were tackling the problem “with one hand tied behind our back”.
Mr Khan was speaking after he expanded the scrappage scheme for cars to comply with the ULEZ after it was blamed for Labour’s defeat in the Uxbridge by-election.
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Grants of up to £2,000 will now be made available to all Londoners who wish to scrap any car or motorcycle that is non-compliant with the zone’s emissions standards.
The grants were previously only available to child benefit recipients, disabled people and those on low incomes – but from Monday 21 August, everyone in the capital can apply.
The payment for vans will rise from £5,000 to £7,000, with small businesses and sole traders able to receive up to £21,000 in grants to scrap up to three vans.
However, the scrappage scheme is not retrospective – meaning those who have already paid for a new vehicle will not be reimbursed.
Speaking to reporters, Mr Khan appealed to the government to provide financial support to London to help clean up the capital’s air – as he said it has “rightly” done for other cities – so he can “help even more Londoners”.
He added: “I’m quite clear, though, that in London we’re not going to put our head in the sand. It would be a dereliction of duty not to take action.”
The ULEZ – which is already in place in central and inner London – charges motorists £12.50 a day to drive the most polluting vehicles in the boundaries it covers.
From 29 August, the zone will be extended up to the capital’s borders with Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey.
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Starmer: ‘Ulez was the reason that we lost the by-election in Uxbridge.’
This new concession, funded by £50m of City Hall reserves, comes after the Tories were able to hold on to Boris Johnson’s former seat by campaigning on an anti-ULEZ platform.
The mayor has repeatedly stressed that 90% of cars seen driving in outer London on an average day are already compliant with ULEZ – but the expansion of the scheme has encountered fierce resistance in some areas due to the rising cost of living.
The Conservatives described the development as “too little too late”.
In the wake of the Uxbridge by-election result – which the Tories won by just 495 votes – a number of senior Labour politicians, including leader Sir Keir Starmer and deputy Angela Rayner, came on to the airwaves to denounce the policy.
In a direct rebuke to the Labour London mayor, Sir Keir told Sky News his party lost the Uxbridge by-election because of the scheme’s expansion as he urged Mr Khan to “reflect”.
Mr Khan has consistently stuck by the policy, citing the damaging effect of air pollution on Londoners’ health.
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ULEZ expansion ruled legal
Last week he was boosted by a High Court ruling which found the expansion to the capital’s outer boroughs was lawful.
Asked if Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer put pressure on him to scrap or change the policy, Mr Khan told Sky News: “A lot of Londoners have been raising concerns in relation to the scrappage scheme. Of course that includes Keir, as well as others.”
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But Susan Hall, who will stand for the Tories against Mr Khan at the next mayoral election in 2024, said: “This is too little, too late from Sadiq Khan… If I am elected mayor, I will reverse this disastrous policy and replace it with a £50m fund to reduce air pollution without taxing people.”
Keith Prince, City Hall’s Conservative transport spokesperson, said: “The best thing he could do is U-turn and adopt some policies that would actually clean the air, such as accelerating the move to zero-emission buses,” he said.
https://news.sky.com/story/sadiq-khan-extends-ulez-scrappage-scheme-after-policy-blamed-for-labours-uxbridge-by-election-defeat-12933254
