Mark Harper explains why Sadiq Khan is wrong on ULEZ

A man living in south London claims he has spent £150,000 on replacing vehicles for his business in order to be ULEZ compliant.

The Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) was controversially expanded to outer London last month, requiring drivers with non-environmentally friendly cars to pay £12.50 a day to drive in the capital.

The scheme has attracted criticism from those living more rurally outside of central London, with Mr Howell saying he’s totally against the initiative.

Joe Howell, 63, lives in Keston in Bromley and runs a waste paper disposal company, MyLondon reports.

Mr Howell told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Everything’s now conforming but I’m still against ULEZ. I’ve had to buy a new van, new lorries. I applied for the scrappage scheme but got turned down. So it cost me a lot of money, about £150,000.”

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He added: “Everyone’s doing it but I know a lot of people have given up. £2,000 or £7,000, whatever you want, for a van doesn’t cover it if you’ve got a fleet of 30 vans. A guy I know packed up, he had 31 vans and laid 275 people off, all because of ULEZ.”

The 63-year-old said the lack of public transport makes people in Bromley more reliant on cars.

He said:“My son lives in Biggin Hill and they’ve got no station, no Underground, nothing and yet he’s got to pay the charge. He can’t get to work because the bus service is so poor down there.”

Bromley Council recently challenged the ULEZ expansion alongside Bexley, Harrow, Hillingdon and Surrey Councils. But the High Court ruled the scheme lawful in July but council leader Colin Smith said the fight to have it reversed is “far from over”.

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Cllr Smith said: “I have been warning about the damage ULEZ will cause to businesses, jobs and vital care networks across outer London for over a year now, yet still the Mayor ploughs on, seemingly oblivious to the widespread pain and misery that he is causing to so many people.”

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “The Mayor could not stand by while around 4,000 Londoners are dying 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.”

The Mayor’s office also said that nine out of ten cars driving in outer London are already compliant.

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