A Liberal Democrat MP has tabled an early-day motion in Parliament, calling for London Mayor Sadiq Khan to delay the expansion of the capital’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ).
Munira Wilson, MP for Twickenham, has urged the Government to provide greater support for Londoners by doubling the budget for the scrappage scheme. The £110million scheme, which offers grants to replace non-compliant vehicles, is currently only open to Londoners on certain means-tested benefits.
The ULEZ expansion is set to be implemented on August 29, covering all London boroughs, meaning anyone driving a non-compliant vehicle in the capital will face a daily charge of £12.50. This includes diesel vehicles registered before September 2016 and petrol vehicles registered before January 2006.
Speaking about her reasoning for tabling the motion, Ms Wilson told the BBC: “The plans are being rushed through without enough thought for how people will cope from a financial or practical perspective.
“This is simply not the right time to add more pressure on people’s wallets. It’s reckless to do this in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis.”
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Early-day motions are rarely debated in Parliament but are a means of drawing the public’s attention to issues. Ms Wilson also notes that there is a lack of support for those living in home counties, who will be affected by the expansion.
Mr Khan said: “The majority of vehicles in London are already ULEZ compliant and will not have to pay anything. But I completely understand the concerns of people who may not have a compliant vehicle and are worried about how they’ll make the transition.”
He added: “Expanding the ULEZ was an incredibly difficult decision for me. But with toxic air damaging the health of millions of Londoners and the need to tackle the climate crisis, I believe the cost of inaction would simply be far too high a price to pay.”
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