The ULEZ battleground

From this August, the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will be expanding to cover almost all of Greater London. Today, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced that thousands more London families and businesses will be able to benefit from the ULEZ scrappage scheme.

The extended ULEZ zone aims to improve air quality and reduce the overall carbon footprint of motorists across London. 

Hailed as one of the most radical anti-pollution policies in the world at the time, ULEZ was first introduced in central London in April 2019. Now, polluting vehicles face a charge of £12.50 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

According to findings by the London Assembly, harmful pollution emissions have reduced by 26% within the ULEZ zone, compared with what they would have been without ULEZ. Under the expanded zone, City Hall hopes to see a reduction of nearly 10% of NOx emissions from cars in outer London, a reduction in exhaust emissions from cars in outer London by nearly 16% and 46,000 fewer car trips.

However, critics argue that the expansion disproportionately impacts poorer Londoners, who are more likely to own an older, non-compliant vehicle that will be subject to the daily charge.

Labour MPs have voiced their concerns, including Seema Malhotra MP, Shadow Minister for Business and Consumers, and Abena Oppong-Asare MP, Shadow Treasury Minister, who said she raised fears with Khan: “my concern is we don’t want to be in a situation where people are going to be worse off.”

Following pressure from Labour MPs and council leaders, Khan has announced that the number of people eligible for financial support to replace polluting vehicles is to increase ahead of the ULEZ expansion.

Under the £110million scrappage fund (in place from the end of July), there will now be support for:

• Families on child benefit
• Smaller businesses registered in London with fewer than 50 employees, not just sole traders and "micro businesses”
• London-based charities looking to scrap or retrofit up to three vans or minibuses, instead of just one
• Care workers who need support will also be “targeted for help”

However, this fund will do little to ease the concerns of the five Conservative-led councils taking legal action against the expansion. Bexley, Bromley, Harrow, Hillingdon and Surrey launched legal action and last month were granted permission to challenge the legality of how the ULEZ plans developed in a judicial review.

During the public consultation into the plans for expanding ULEZ, 80% of respondents in affected areas opposed the plans. This has led to claims that Khan has ignored the concerns of Londoners and pushed ahead with his plans.

Critique from his own party and London councils isn’t Khan’s only headache. The elections for Mayor of London and the London Assembly will take place in 2024 and the Conservatives are already looking at the ULEZ expansion as an election issue and their opportunity to oust Khan from office.

Conservative candidates for Mayor of London have attacked Khan on the expansion claiming he hasn’t listened to Londoners and is putting additional pressure on households already struggling with the cost of living. Tory candidate Samuel Kasumu, former Special Advisor to Boris Johnson, has stated that “ULEZ is going to be a big battleground subject” and promised outer London boroughs a referendum on whether to remain within the ULEZ.

Khan himself is hopeful of a third term in office, despite the challenges he faces on opposition to ULEZ expansion, as well as on the poor performance of the Metropolitan police. Doubling down on ULEZ, Khan has said: “This… is the bold and urgent action we need to fight air pollution, climate change and improve the health of Londoners.”

Given that the Mayoral election will, for the first time, use the first past the post (FPP) voting system and the new voter ID rules, it will be a closely fought contest, and ULEZ will be a key concern for Londoners when they go to the ballot box.