Last Thursday, the voters of Uxbridge and South Ruislip in their parliamentary by-election, sent a clear message to London Mayor Sidiq Khan, that they didn’t want the London ULEZ to expand to cover the whole of Greater London. This Conservative victory was widely attributed to the unpopularity of Labour’s London ULEZ expansion.
The evening before was Crawley Borough Council’s Full Council meeting, where my Conservative colleague Cllr Zack Ali (Gossops Green & north-east Broadfield) and I had brought forward our motion to stand with Crawley residents and businesses, by having our local council take a position of formally opposing ULEZ expansion. This had been deliberately delayed to this meeting at the last meeting back in March by the majority Labour group of councillors, who I believe didn’t want this discussed ahead of May’s local elections.
The Conservative group’s position is very clear. We don’t believe that charging motorists £12.50 to cross the London boundary each day, is the best way for London to reduce their already-falling air pollution. There are already enough costs and taxes on motorists with more polluting vehicles paying higher road tax, although it is good that the Conservative government has frozen fuel duty since 2011. I recall the previous Labour government’s fuel duty escalator.
It's clear to me that if London’s Labour Mayor goes ahead with the ULEZ expansion on August 27, that once the principle of taxing motorists to enter Greater London is established and the infrastructure installed, that the goalposts will be moved in future years to capture more and more petrol and diesel vehicles that are currently exempt.
Unfortunately, we were not able to add Crawley’s voice to those other councils close to London who oppose ULEZ expansion, thanks to the actions of Crawley’s Labour councillors who have a majority on the council. Their ‘wrecking amendment’ to remove opposing the ULEZ to replace it with pausing for another survey was simply a cop-out. Several Labour councillors spoke in support of the expanded London ULEZ with one brazenly saying it will happen here in Crawley too.
Conservative councillors will oppose any such move.
Councillor Duncan Crow, Leader of Crawley Borough Council Conservative Group
26th July 2023
