ULEZ revolt escalates as Hertfordshire council warns it WON’T allow Sadiq Khan to put up signs and CCTV cameras
- Hertfordshire County Council tells London mayor it won’t permit any ULEZ signs
The revolt against Sadiq Khan’s expansion of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) has widened after a bordering council vowed not to put up any signage.
Hertfordshire County Council has told the London mayor it won’t allow any ULEZ signage or enforcement cameras to be erected within its boundaries.
As part of its protest against the scheme, the council also threatened legal action over Mr Khan’s ULEZ expansion, which is currently the subject of judicial review.
The Labour politician is pursuing plans to expand ULEZ – which charges drivers a £12.50 daily fee for vehicles not meeting minimum requirements – to all London boroughs from late August.
It would see ULEZ expand to three times its current size with new borders reaching Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey.
Sadiq Khan is pursuing plans to expand ULEZ – which charges drivers a £12.50 daily fee for vehicles not meeting minimum requirements – to all London boroughs from late August
Hertfordshire County Council has told the London mayor it won’t allow any ULEZ signage or enforcement cameras to be erected within its boundaries
ULEZ is set to expand to three times its current size with new borders reaching Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey
There has been a fierce backlash against the London mayor’s plans to add to drivers’ bills during the cost-of-living crisis.
Mr Khan has also come under further pressure to rethink the ULEZ expansion in the wake of the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election.
Labour last week failed to win Boris Johnson’s former parliamentary seat off the Tories, with the vote widely seen as an effective referendum on ULEZ.
In a letter to Mr Khan, Hertfordshire County Council leader Richard Roberts told the London mayor his ULEZ expansion ‘cannot be supported’ by the local authority.
Mr Roberts said his Tory-led council took the importance of tackling air pollution ‘incredibly seriously’.
But he pointed to the cost-of-living crisis, an insufficient scrappage scheme for those with non-compliant vehicles, and a lack of public transport alternatives as reasons for the council’s opposition to the current plans.
‘In Hertfordshire, many residents, families and businesses are telling us that they are dealing with the tightest squeeze on their finances in over a generation,’ he wrote.
‘The simple fact of the matter is that at this time many people with non-compliant vehicles, often the lowest paid in society cannot afford to upgrade their cars, are not eligible for the scrappage scheme and have no viable public transport alternatives.
‘With Transport for London’s plans to develop existing car parks in outer London… the option for those in Hertfordshire who may wish to drive to a public transport node and use public transport is also being hampered.
‘Such actions create an appearance of a policy implemented in a disjointed way, which in turn leads to the suspicion that this is simply another tax grab on the motorist.’
Mr Roberts informed Mr Khan that Hertfordshire County Council will therefore ‘not permit any ULEZ signage or enforcement cameras to be located within the boundary of the county’.
He also demanded the London mayor extend the scrappage scheme to include those counties surrounding Greater London.
‘We will consider our options in relation to legal action pending the outcome of the ongoing judicial review,’ he added.
‘I would personally ask that you pause the expansion of the zone and look to redraw the zone boundary to align with outer London public transport hubs, providing those who cannot upgrade their vehicle with public transport options before having to absorb the proposed £12.50 per day cost of the expanded zone.’
A spokesperson for Mr Khan said: ‘Transport for London and City Hall are working closely and collaboratively with the local authorities concerned to install the infrastructure needed.
‘The mayor has been clear that while the decision to expand ULEZ was an incredibly difficult one, he could not stand by and do nothing while around 4,000 Londoners die prematurely each year due to air pollution, children are growing up with stunted lungs and thousands of people in our city are developing life-changing illnesses, such as cancer, lung disease, dementia and asthma.
‘Nine out of 10 cars seen driving in outer London are compliant and won’t need to pay a penny.
‘For anyone who is affected, help is available including thousands of pounds for people on low incomes, charities, small businesses, disabled Londoners and anyone in receipt of child benefit.
‘Sadiq is committed to the expansion but is always listening and is happy to look at any new ideas for ways to mitigate the impact of expanding the ULEZ on Londoners while still tackling air quality and the climate crisis.
‘He has listened to Londoners throughout this process and continues to do so – and he has already made a number of changes to expand the scrappage eligibility scheme, from the end of this month.’
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