Sadiq Khan MUST delay the expansion of ULEZ until at least next year, Tories ...

Sadiq Khan MUST delay the expansion of ULEZ until at least next year, Tories ...
Sadiq Khan MUST delay the expansion of ULEZ until at least next year, Tories ...

Sadiq Khan must delay the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone until next year to give Londoners time to recover from the pandemic, the Tories have demanded.

The Mayor is being urged to wait before extending the boundary of the scheme because it was 'absurd' to think people had been able to prepare amid Covid-19.

ULEZ covers central London from Westminster to the City of London but will expand up to, but not including, the North and South Circular Road, on October 25.

It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and sees vehicles needing to meet strict emissions standards or drivers must pay a daily charge.

GLA Conservatives slammed the move as 'harmful in normal times' but said it would be 'devastating' after the past 20 months.

The warning comes as Mr Khan visits the ULEZ control centre at Capita, just 10 days before the expansion of the zone. 

The Mayor is today urged to wait before extending the boundary of the green scheme as it was 'absurd' to think people had been able to prepare amid Covid. ULEZ covers central London from Westminster to the City of London (shown in red) but will expand up to, but not including, the North and South Circular Road (shown in yellow), on October 25

The Mayor is today urged to wait before extending the boundary of the green scheme as it was 'absurd' to think people had been able to prepare amid Covid. ULEZ covers central London from Westminster to the City of London (shown in red) but will expand up to, but not including, the North and South Circular Road (shown in yellow), on October 25

The expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone must be delayed until next year to give Londoners time to recover from the pandemic, Sadiq Khan (pictured) has been warned

The expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone must be delayed until next year to give Londoners time to recover from the pandemic, Sadiq Khan (pictured) has been warned

GLA Conservatives slammed the policy as 'harmful in normal times' but said it would be 'devastating' after the past 20 months (file photo)

GLA Conservatives slammed the policy as 'harmful in normal times' but said it would be 'devastating' after the past 20 months (file photo) 

GLA Conservatives' letter to Sadiq Khan in full:

Dear Mr Mayor

I am writing to request that you delay the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) until next year to allow Londoners time to recover and prepare. When you announced your plan to expand the ULEZ charge up to the North and South Circulars in June 2018, Londoners had over three years' notice of the significant change.

However, the coronavirus crisis has significantly impacted upon the ability of people and businesses to use that time to prepare. From March 2020 to July 2021, London has faced uncertainty and economic damage from repeated lockdowns and restrictions as we battled the virus. It's absurd to think that Londoners could have used this time to prepare for ULEZ expansion.

No Londoner bought a new car while they worried about their livelihood and stayed at home. No business could upgrade their vans or heavy vehicles after they furloughed staff and closed their doors to save lives. And no charity could have bought a cleaner minibus when donations crashed. For 16 months, London was unable to prepare for ULEZ.

The current timetable for ULEZ expansion will see the charge expanded only three months after restrictions ended on the 19th of July. That's not enough time to recover, let alone prepare for ULEZ following the biggest economic crash in the UK's economy for 300 years. Following the pandemic, it's harder than ever to buy a compliant vehicle. The average asking price for a second-hand car has soared by 15.2 per cent as the country has reopened.

Londoners hoping to go electric face a year-long wait for new vehicles due to a global shortage of semiconductors.  There's little to no help available for Londoners who can't afford to switch their vehicle. Sole traders and small businesses haven't been able to apply for a Transport for London scrappage grant since the scheme for vans and heavy vehicles closed last summer due to high demand.

Only a third of low-income and disabled applicants seeking a grant to scrap their noncompliant car or motorcycle have received a pay-out. Many more people on low incomes are excluded from this scheme altogether as only those on certain benefits can apply. That's why I am writing to request that you delay the expansion of ULEZ until next year. A delay will give London time to recover and prepare for the charge.

I also urge you to help Londoners who can't afford to switch vehicles by adopting the GLA Conservatives' plan to invest £50 million in ULEZ scrappage schemes. The money is available and sitting in City Hall's business rate reserve. This sizable investment would enable you to re-open the two closed schemes for sole traders and small businesses and widen the third scheme for low-income and disabled Londoners to include those earning less than £30,000.

London can't afford for you to rush the ULEZ expansion so soon after the pandemic. In normal times this policy would be harmful. But it will be devastating for those whose livelihoods still hang in the balance in tough times like these.

Yours sincerely

Keith Prince AM

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GLA Conservatives' transport spokesman Keith Prince AM will send a letter, seen by MailOnline, to Mr Khan calling for a delay to the extension.

He wrote: 'I am writing to request that you delay the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone until next year to allow Londoners time to recover and prepare.

'When you announced your plan to expand the ULEZ charge up to the North and South Circulars in June 2018, Londoners had over three years' notice of the significant change.

'However, the coronavirus crisis has significantly impacted upon the ability of people and businesses to use that time to prepare.

'From March 2020

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