analysis: clean air zones

put together a robust case against expansion and this is backed up by the courts agreeing to have our challenge heard. We listened to our residents and businesses who have expressed significant concerns over the social and economic impact of ULEZ expansion and could not stand aside and allow it to be rolled out without challenge.”

He concluded: “We remain confident that the court will see that the Mayor failed to follow due process, that his proposed scrappage scheme is inadequate, the irreparable harm ULEZ expansion would have on outer London and its neighbours, and that it will rightfully quash these disastrous plans.”

Cllr Baroness O’Neill of Bexley OBE, Leader of the London Borough of Bexley, said: “The residents of Bexley gave us a clear mandate to oppose Mayor Khan’s proposal to expand the ULEZ. It was never about air quality and we believe it would have disastrous consequences for many of our residents and businesses, as well as others who regularly travel into the borough. We hope that today’s decision moves us a step closer to stopping the Mayor’s money-making scheme.”

Cllr Paul Osborn, Leader of Harrow Council, said: “We said we would take this to court, and now we will get to present our case against the expansion of the ULEZ. This success is the first stage of the legal battle against the unpopular scheme which means the case will go to a hearing at the High Court. We are confident that the court will see how process was not followed through and proper steps not taken in relation to the scrappage scheme.”

“We have always had concerns about the impact ULEZ will have on our residents and businesses who are already struggling with the rising costs of living – it’s simply unfair! We will not back down on our fight against ULEZ and will continue to stand up for our residents.”

Cllr Tim Oliver, Leader of Surrey County Council, said: “This is good news and I’m pleased that our challenge to the Mayor of London regarding ULEZ is proceeding. The impact on Surrey’s residents and businesses has been ignored by the Mayor and it’s frankly disgraceful that it’s taken legal proceedings to have our voices heard.”

“Our consultation response in July 2022 clearly highlighted that the Mayor’s decision failing to include Surrey residents in any scrappage scheme was unacceptable, and proposed a number of other recommendations to help mitigate both the financial and potential environmental impacts of the expansion. Our concerns have not been addressed by the Mayor.”

“We remain committed to delivering a greener future, but it must be done in a practical and sustainable way. We will now await the findings of the Judicial Review.”

The Judicial Review may throw out the ULEZ expansion, but drivers with non-compliant cars may find it prudent to plan for the worst. From August 29, motorists in outer London boroughs will have to pay £12.50 per day if their cars do not meet Euro 4 (petrol) or Euro 6 (diesel) emissions standards. And with the ULEZ charge period running from midnight to midnight, a late-night drop-off in the outer boroughs would incur two charges – totalling £25 – if you stay in the zone after midnight.

Realistically, the expansion only affects drivers of diesel cars first registered before 2014. That was when Euro 6 standards became mandatory, and indeed, some diesels manufactured before that date are compliant. With Euro 4 petrol standards having been introduced in 2004, it’s unlikely that there will be many licensed petrol private hire vehicles that don’t comply. But there are likely to be some pre2014 Euro 5 diesels still operating as PHVs, so it’s advisable to check now and, if possible, upgrade to a compliant car.

A limited scrappage scheme is available, but only improvement from extending ULEZ was negligible at best.” He added that the public was also against the plan: “In Mayor Khan’s own consultation, 80% of outer London businesses and employees, 75% of tourists, and 90% of black cab drivers oppose the expansion of the ULEZ. How Mayor Khan can go ahead with this expansion – despite such definitive and widespread opposition – is beyond me.” for those meeting narrow criteria, and only if the money available (up to £2,000) is spent on a new car, not an equivalent compliant replacement. The Mayor’s Office and Transport for London believe 160,000 vehicles would be liable for the new levy, though this is disputed by the RAC, which has used DVLA data to show that almost 700,000 cars would not be compliant.

It has also emerged that Mayor Khan may have manipulated the results of a consultation into ULEZ expansion to make it appear that more people were in favour of the move. Conservative members of the Greater London Assembly are demanding an inquiry into the plan, claiming that up to 5,000 responses to the consultation, mainly opposing the plan, were excluded from the final ULEZ consultation results after an intervention by the Mayor’s senior advisers.

Nick Rogers AM, GLA Conservatives transport spokesperson, has submitted a formal complaint about Sadiq Khan’s misconduct to the Greater London Authority monitoring officer.

Rogers claims mayor Khan made ‘false and dishonest’ statements to the London Assembly on six occasions when he and his deputy Seb Dance told the London Assembly that they had not been briefed in advance on the ULEZ consultation results. The Conservatives claim internal correspondence and secret documents reveal that this was untrue.

The documents apparently show thousands of responses, 90% of which opposed the expansion, were excluded from the final ULEZ consultation results. The intervention lowered the overall level of opposition in the final count by 3 percentage points (from 62% to 59%).

The level of opposition to mayor Khan’s plan to is highlighted in a survey by campaign group FairFuel UK.

Despite the voluble opposition to the scheme, Khan has stuck to his guns, admitting the difficulties people were experiencing with rising costs was a “key consideration”, but declaring that “in the end, public health comes before political expediency”. More risibly, he also claimed “Covid deniers, conspiracy theorists and Nazis” had infiltrated protests against the scheme.

Romford’s Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell also strongly opposes ULEZ expansion, saying: “There is no evidence that this scheme will improve air quality. Sadiq Khan’s own Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA) concluded that any air quality

The study of 42,792 motorists revealed that 1-in5 drivers will not drive into London once the zone is extended, while 3 in 4 drivers believe the ULEZ expansion is purely a money raising exercise, with only 12% believing the expansion will improve urban air quality.

The survey also revealed that 31% of sole traders such as plumbers and electricians would not drive into London any more, while 1 in 4 visitors and tourists said they would be discouraged from driving into London.

Six out of 10 drivers in the survey described Sadiq Khan as a “cash-grabbing” Mayor, with only 3% said he was an “environmental champion”.

Susan Hall, GLA Conservatives Leader, said: “Sadiq Khan has ignored an overwhelming majority of Londoners who oppose his plans to hit the poorest with a cost of living charge. The Mayor’s ULEZ expansion will have only a negligible effect on air quality, while devastating small businesses, charities and residents who cannot afford to upgrade their vehicles.” continued on next page

While electric car sales have been gathering seemingly unstoppable momentum, over the past couple of years, the very top end of the market hasn’t been well served, leaving chauffeurs with very few options to replace their full-size diesel saloons.