‘Victimised’ motorists being forced out of London with ULEZ expansion next month

Last week, the Builders Merchants Federation called for a 12-month delay to August’s ULEZ expansion, saying that it would have a major impact on tradespeople.

Any delay would give individuals and businesses the opportunity to gain access to cleaner, more efficient ULEZ-compliant vehicles.

Research has shown that 80 percent of tradespeople in the capital have been forced to increase their prices because of rising parking costs in London.

In addition to parking costs, fuel prices, Clean Air Zones and car insurance rises have all seen the cost of motoring increase dramatically since the pandemic.

Data from Fix Radio has found that the ULEZ expansion will have a “direct and detrimental” impact on almost a quarter of all construction businesses in Greater London.

Clive Holland, broadcaster on Fix Radio, discussed the effect of the ULEZ expansion on tradespeople and whether anything can be done to help them.

He said: “I have to say from a personal point of view I think through the pandemic our industry was asked to continue to build which we did. 

“Without the construction industry, the UK economy would collapse – you’ve seen a lot of strikes recently but if tradespeople ever decided to strike it would cause significant issues throughout the UK. 

“Tradespeople haven’t had the pat on the back that they deserve for helping through the pandemic and putting themselves in dangerous situations.”

More than one in five tradespeople have said that it is too expensive to use their van or vehicle for work because of the cost of driving in a major city.

Around 17 percent of those in the trade say the ULEZ expansion and the introduction of the so-called “transit tax” has had a detrimental impact on their business.

Mr Holland added: “When the ban on red diesel came, the ULEZ extension, the general taxation of vehicles and the electric vans requirement, they are all burdens to tradespeople which seriously affects their income. 

“It is not only happening in London it’s happening in cities around the UK including Birmingham and Bath, the tradesperson who is going about their daily job I think is being victimised. 

“Particularly at this time with Brits battling inflation and recession it means that customers are turning down jobs because they can’t afford it and tradespeople are encountering extra fees, such as the ULEZ charge which makes jobs less desirable.”

Transport for London and the Mayor of London introduced a new scrappage scheme to help Londoners adapt to the changes and access cleaner vehicles.

The £110million scheme provides provisions for businesses with 10 employees or less with a grant of between £5,000 and £9,000, although many have stated this is not enough.